Pad Prik King with Tempeh and Long Beans

Thai Fast Without Oil Published June 13, 2026

Pad prik king is a dry, intense Thai stir-fry — no coconut milk, no broth, just a fierce red curry paste clinging to whatever it coats, all chili heat, lime leaf perfume, and salt-sweet depth. Built around nutty tempeh and snappy long beans, it is fiery, fragrant, and genuinely filling, the kind of dish that wakes up a plate of plain rice and makes a strict fasting day feel like a treat rather than a penance. Because it carries no oil, it sits naturally on the strictest cooked-food days.

This version is written oil-free for strict Wednesday and Friday fasting: the paste is bloomed in a little water and the tempeh and beans are seared dry and then steam-fried. On oil days, start instead by frying the tempeh in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until crisp, then proceed — the dish gains a glossier, richer edge.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast Without Oil (richer oil-day version in notes)
SERVINGS: 4
TIME: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

- 300g tempeh, cut into thin slabs or cubes
- 300g long beans or green beans, cut into 4cm lengths
- 3 tablespoons red curry paste (check it is shrimp-paste-free if needed)
- 1/2 cup water, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste (or juice of 1 lime)
- 4 makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, finely sliced
- 1 red chili, sliced (optional, for more heat)
- Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

METHOD

1. Heat a dry nonstick wok or wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the tempeh and dry-sear, turning, until lightly browned on the cut faces, about 4 minutes. Add a splash of water if it sticks. Push to one side.

2. Add the curry paste and 1/4 cup of water to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until the paste is fragrant and darkened and the water has mostly cooked off.

3. Add the long beans and the remaining 1/4 cup water. Toss to coat everything in the paste and steam-fry for 4-5 minutes until the beans are tender-crisp and the tempeh is glazed, adding small splashes of water whenever the pan goes dry.

4. Stir in the soy sauce, sugar, and tamarind. Toss for another minute until the sauce clings tightly and glossily to the tempeh and beans with no liquid pooling. It should be salty, hot, slightly sweet, and a little sour.

5. Fold in the lime leaves and fresh chili. Serve hot over jasmine rice — the dish is deliberately strong, meant to be eaten in small, fiery forkfuls against plenty of plain rice.

NOTES

- Oil-day version: fry the tempeh in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil until crisp before step 2, and bloom the paste in 1 tablespoon oil instead of water.
- On fish days, this is superb with shrimp in place of or alongside the tempeh — shrimp also works on any oil day.
- Tempeh can be swapped for firm tofu or seitan; sear it the same way.
- The makrut lime leaves make the dish; if you can't find them, add the zest of a lime at the end and a little extra lime juice.