This past weekend, reminiscing about a trip to Chicago turned into reminiscing about our favorite Thai restaurant, a hidden gem on the city’s north side where they actually made the food as spicy as I asked them to. Next time I may even be more cautious: The moo krawp (crispy pork belly) make me cough!

After mentally reliving the meal, appetite whetted to say the least, I marched straight to our local grocery store and bought the fixings for this simple stir-fry. 

When shopping for pork for this recipe, look for fat. The fattier the meat, the crispier and more succulent the pork pieces will get.

Thai Pork and Green Beans

• 1/2 pound thin pork chops
• 1/2 pound green beans
• sesame oil or olive oil
• fish sauce
• soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons fresh chopped basil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
• 1 cup uncooked jasmine rice, for serving. 

Cook 1 dry cup of rice according to package directions and set aside. If you’re like us, you’ve bought rice whose directions are written in Thai. 1-1/2 cups water per cup of rice is a good general rule for jasmine rice; put water and rice in a pot, bring to a boil, stir, reduce to low, cover and cook until done, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside, leaving it covered for at least 10 minutes before serving. 

Trim the pork chops into strips about 1/2 inch thick and about 1-1/2 inches long. Trim the green beans into 1 inch pieces. 

Heat a generous splash of oil in a heavy skillet or wok until nearly smoking. Add the pork and green beans and a splash of fish sauce and soy sauce (about 1 tablespoon of each). Turn constantly with a skillet until evenly cooked on the outside. Reduce heat to medium.

Add the basil, ginger, and red curry paste. Stir and taste. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with rice. Serves 2. 

TIP: I love it when restaurants serve rice in neat domes. I made mine by pressing the rice gently into a 1-cup measuring cup with my fingers, and then overturning the rice onto each dinner plate.