The Stink Bean – A Little Smelly, A Lot of Flavor
The official name for stink beans is parkia speciosa
Thai Stink Beans with Shrimp Recipe (วิธีทำ กุ้งผัดสะตอ)
Stink beans are one of my favorite things to eat in the entire world.
To me, they are little beans of joy – little morsels of power and flavor, packed with vitamins, and both their taste and texture excites me like I’m a little kid on a roller coaster.
Alright, anyway, you probably have guessed that I’m a little obsessed with stink beans, and that would be an understatement. I could eat them everyday.
The official name for stink beans is parkia speciosa
What are stink beans?
Stink beans, officially known as parkia speciosa, have been one of my favorite foods for many years now.
In Thai they are known as sataw (สะตอ), but you might also hear them called petai, bitter beans, stinky beans, smelly beans etc.
They are popular throughout southern parts of southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the south of Thailand.
I remember years ago when my wife Ying, who is from the south of Thailand, introduced me to stink beans – it was love at first bite.
Stink beans have a bit of a strong taste and aroma. Some compare them to natural gas, and though I do admit that they have a bit of a “gassy” taste, it’s glorious at the same time.
The real aroma comes a few hours after eating a bunch of stink beans, when you urinate, and the strong smell of sulfur is released. Have you ever eaten a lot of asparagus? Stink beans offer a similar smell.
When it’s stink bean season in Thailand, my mother in-law buys fresh stink beans at the market just about everyday (mainly because she and I both love them).
Southern Thai curry paste
I love to eat them raw, accompanied by southern dry meat curry, or boiled in coconut milk, but my favorite way is in a dish called goong pad sataw (กุ้งผัดสะตอ), stink beans stir fried with shrimp and southern Thai style curry paste.
Most of the time, stink beans are cooked with other strong ingredients, like garlic, chilies, and shrimp paste.
Other strong tastes, complement and enhance the natural flavor of stink beans.
One of the favorite Thai dishes
You’ve probably heard me say, “this is my favorite dish,” about many different dishes… but I can REALLY say, this is one of my ultimate favorite dishes.
Stink beans – also known as petai
Preparing the stink beans
One of the other names for stink beans is “twisted cluster bean,” because the beans come housed in a pod that’s slightly twisted, kind of like a strand of DNA.
In order to prepare the beans, it’s easiest to take a knife, and make a cut on one side of the bean, and then fold the skin over to peel it out of its shell.
There’s a little cream colored film on the outside of the bean (inside the shell), which doesn’t hurt to eat, but normally it’s also peeled and discarded.
Peeled stink beans
The beans take a little time to peel, but it’s worth it.
Occasionally you’ll find little worms in the stink beans… this just means they are healthy and fresh – and I guess the worms know good food when they taste it too!
For this recipe, I used 6 stink bean pods, which equaled probably about 1 full cup of peeled stink beans or so.
It really doesn’t matter how much you use, but the more the merrier in my opinion.
I’ll use shrimp for this recipe
Along with stink beans, I’m a huge lover of shrimp, which is why I like to cook stink beans with shrimp.
However, you can also make this same recipe with any type of meat you like – chicken, pork, beef – whatever you have available.
Serve goong pad sataw (กุ้งผัดสะตอ) with hot rice
Once you’ve finishing cooking the goong pad sataw (กุ้งผัดสะตอ), the best way to eat it is along with a fresh hot plate of steamed rice.
The shrimp should be firm and juicy, the stink beans should be crisp and fresh, and the curry sauce is where all the stunning flavor comes from – the chilies, garlic, turmeric, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves all work together for a flavor that will blow your mind.
If you give me a plate of goong pad sataw (กุ้งผัดสะตอ) and a hot fresh plate of rice, I will be very happy, every single time.
(If you can’t see the video, watch it here)
Stink beans and shrimp recipe (วิธีทำ กุ้งผัดสะตอ)
Time: If you already have the southern Thai curry paste ready, it will only take about 15 minutes of so to make this dish
Recipe size: I can eat what this recipe makes by myself, but it should be good for 2 – 3 people or so, as long as you have a few different dishes at the table, eating family style
Cooking utensils: wok / frying pan
Flavors: Spicy and salty
Eat it with: Hot fresh rice, and some other southern Thai dishes
The Stink Bean – A Little Smelly, A Lot of Flavor
It’s revered in marketplaces, dangled up for display or promoted at the front of the stall, and if you’re a restaurant that serves it, there’s no doubt you’ll hang it near the doorway, luring in the seduced guests.
You’ll immediately know there’s something special about the stink bean.
Stink bean, also known as parkia speciosa, sataw (สะตอ), petai, peteh, bitter bean, smelly bean or twisted cluster bean is widely consumed in southern southeast Asia.
The beans grow hanging from a tree, wrapped in a tough outer skin of twisted pods that grow in clusters.
With a high concentration of amino acids, the nutrition packed bean has an aroma that some say could pass as methane gas – but in a scrumptious sort of way!
The smell doesn’t end at the meal, the scent of stink beans will follow you in a similar way that asparagus makes its comeback: well represented in your urine.
Get exclusive updates
Enter your email and I’ll send you the best travel food content.
I know, that description is probably not selling you, but let me reassure you that I think it’s probably one of favorite things to eat on the planet.
Peeling the stink beans!
Peeling the pods takes a knife to slice open the shell and remove the inner stink beans. The larger the beans are, as I’ve noticed, tend to be packed with a little extra boost of pungency.
Thai style “Pad Sataw” (Stink Beans) ผัดสะตอ
While Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand each have their own slightly unique ways to cook stink beans, they are commonly stir fried in curry paste and paired with other robust ingredients like garlic, chillies, and shrimp paste.
Pad sataw (ผัดสะตอ) is a Thai dish frequently cooked with either pork or shrimp and flavored with a masterful curry paste blend that includes garlic, chillies and turmeric.
It’s a dish I just can’t seem to get enough of, a combination I wouldn’t hesitate to travel to the ends of the world just to eat.
Southern Thai Food Feast
No southern Thai meal would be complete without stir fried stink beans.
Roasted stink beans
They are not only prepared stir fried, but also roasted in their shell and served along with nam prik, a variation of spicy Thai chili sauce.
Pickled stink beans
I’ve also enjoyed stink beans pickled in sour brine.
The beans don’t lose their awesome flavor but take on a little more of a rubbery texture similar to pickled carrots or radish. It’s like popping skittles in your mouth, only much tastier!
Health Benefits of the Stink Bean
Stink beans are not only heaven to the taste buds, but are also a powerhouse of healthy nutrients. They have been proven to aid in everything from lowering blood pressure to relieving stress and warding off heartburn.
Studies have even revealed that the bean is loaded with natural energy boosting sugars. Pour out your Red Bull and start popping stink beans!
I enjoy eating a large variety of things, but more than almost anything else I include in my diet, there’s truly something magical about stink beans.
The complexity of the flavor, the spices it’s commonly cooked with, and the gaseous sensation that erupts into your mouth with each bite (and comes out in your urine for days of remembrance), makes the stink bean one of the most remarkable plants to eat on the planet.
Oh parkia speciosa, you may be a little stinky, but I dearly love you.
Wat Phu Tok – Visiting The Most Thrilling (and Dangerous?) Temple in Thailand
Samarkand Travel Guide – Best Food and Things To Do in Ancient Uzbekistan
Highlights of Uzbekistan – 14 Days of Meat, History, and Hospitality
Get exclusive updates
Enter your email and I’ll send you the best travel food content.
