Southern Staple · Stink Bean Stir-Fry
Moo Phat Sataw (Stir-Fried Pork with Stink Beans)
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Eating the bitter, pungent beans can noticeably change the smell of your urine for a day or two afterward — the same 'asparagus effect' amino-acid chemistry, just far more intense — and locals simply shrug it off for the flavor.
Stink beans (sataw) are shelled and stir-fried with sliced pork, garlic, chili and a spoon of shrimp paste until the beans turn bright green and slightly charred. It's a fixture of southern Thai lunch counters, served straight over rice.
Why it's made this way: Sataw grows easily across southern Thailand and pairs naturally with the region's other strong flavors — garlic, chili, dried shrimp and shrimp paste — which is exactly why southern cooks lean on it so heavily despite its notorious aroma.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
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