Sataw Beans – Sadtaw
by Kasma Loha-unchit
See also: Information on Winged Bean & Stir-fried Shrimp with Sadtaw recipe.
Sadtaw is a prized vegetable in the southern region of Thailand. It actually is not a vegetable, but the young beanlike seeds of a large tree, carried in long, flat and wavy, over-sized, bright green seedpods. Each seedpod yields only a small handful of seeds.
Bunches of these colorful seedpods can be seen hanging from stalls in just about every open-air marketplace in the southern provinces, as well as fruit and vegetable stands along major roadsides. Because it is fairly expensive and a delicacy, it is used sparingly, even in the dishes in which it is featured. Only a few bites of the tasty seeds with shrimp in a spicy sauce are enough to satisfy a craving. The sauce in this recipe is a truly southern combination of flavors – very pungent and meant to be eaten with plenty of rice.
In my recipes, I suggest substituting the sadtaw with fava beans because they are approximately the same size and color with a slight bitter taste. Lima beans and broad beans may also be used; adjust the cooking times as needed to tenderize them.
[Note from Kasma's husband, Michael – Sataw beans are often called "stink beans" in English. When the beans are fresh, I notice very little smell at all. It is only with older beans or with frozen beans that there is much of a smell: that is another reason that Kasma recommends using fava beans in the United States rather than the frozen sadtaw, which are available at many Asian markets.]
Kasma teaches the recipe Spicy Southern-Style Stir-Fried Shrimp with Sadtaw or Fava Beans (Gkoong Pad Sadtaw) in Advanced Series Set C (class 3), and in Weeklong Advanced B (day 1).
Note on transliteration: These beans are usually spelled "sataw" in English. In Thailand, there is a consonant that is pronounced midway between a "d" and a "t". That is the consonant used in the Thai name of this bean and is why Kasma spells it sadtaw.