Green Beans Stir-fried with Red Curry and Italian Sausage

I'm not a very consistent chef. I will cook according to the recipe once or twice, but then I'll most likely start fiddling with it. I can't help wondering if a dish would taste better with more of one thing, or this instead of that. Cooking for me is a constant process of experimentation. Sometimes the results of my experiments are good. Sometimes, not so much. And sometimes, the experiments work very well, surprising even me.

Stir-fried green Beans with Thai red curry and Italian sausage

Such is the case with this dish. I was in the supermarket, and had already picked up some fresh green beans, which I planned to stir-fry in some red curry paste. This simple Thai dish has become a favorite of mine, because it's easy to make and a little different from dull stir-fried vegetables. I was using green beans because, for some reason, they're cheaper in Thai supermarkets than traditional Thai long beans and they keep better.

The question was, what meat to use? I wasn't keen on picking up some sliced pork and was casting around for ideas. I'd been eyeing some Italian sausage in the freezer section at this store on several visits, but I wasn't sure what I'd do with it. Then it occurred to me to give sausage a try in the stir-fry. They had some spicy, locally made sausages that weren't too expensive, so I decided to give it a go.

Needless to say, I'm quite pleased with the results. The spicy sausages work well with the curry, while the beans help keep the dish from being too hot. This recipe will make enough for one, but you can easily scale it up for more people. You can also try stock instead of water for the liquid.

Ingredients

Servings: 4

Preparation

1. Fry the garlic and curry paste in the oil over medium heat until the paste releases its fragrance, add the sausage and stir-fry until browned.
2. Add water. Mix well. Add the green beans and stir to mix.
3. Let the beans simmer for a few minutes to cook and to let the water reduce.