Stink beans (or bitter beans) on display in Bangkok
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.
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.
mark: *in a kid like voice* I am throwing tantrum now!!!Me wants stink beans now!!!
sully86 recently posted..Ai se Eu te PEgo
Haha, I have been known to throw tantrums about stink beans as well!
These sound like a more potent version of the Japanese edamame! Never heard of them, but I won’t let a little (or a lot!) stink get in my way… I’ll definitely give these a try if I see them in Thailand!
Steph (@ 20 Years Hence) recently posted..The Time we Ate at the Japanese Cheesecake Factory
Cool Steph, they are amazing and available all over Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand (southern), Malaysia and Indonesia – I think you’ll enjoy it!
With all the great foods you’ve tried, if this is one of your favorites, it must be amazing.
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..A Guide to Food and Drink in Bolivia
Thanks Steph!
I have loved stink bean since I was a kid! (most of my friends only started to like it when they’re grown up). But I always avoid having them in my dish when I need to meet someone, otherwise the stink is a bit too much.
Bama recently posted..Kandy: More Than Eye Candy
Haha, I eat stink bean (and durian) so much now, I’ve decided to just only meet people that can handle it! We can eat some stink beans together!
As you can tell, I’m catching up on your blog today. Great name and great photos.
2Summers recently posted..Ponte City, Inside and Out
Thank you very much Heather! It is a great name for a delicious thing!