Wing Bean Salad ยำถั่วพู (Yum Tuapu)

Wing bean salad or yum tua pu is one of the most interesting and complex Thai salads, which makes it one of my favourite Thai salads! Crunchy sliced wing beans look like little stars tossed in a Thai yum dressing enriched with coconut milk and Thai chili paste. It's a filling salad, so you can definitely have this as your main meal with some jasmine rice, and it's super festive, perfect for the holiday table!

What are wing beans?

Before we get into the recipe, for those unfamiliar, here are some wing bean basics. Wing beans, or tua pu in Thai are like green beans with 4 little "wings" extending around them. So when you slice them, the look like little 4-point stars ✨! The middle are crunchy, with a relatively neutral, slightly nutty flavour, very much like green beans.

You can buy wing beans from some Asian grocery stores. Here in Vancouver I see them occasionally at various stores, but not all the time, so when I do see them, this is 100% the dish I make to celebrate the find!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe and some important notes about them. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

• Wing beans or green beans. You can find wing beans at many Asian grocery stores.
• Chicken breast
• Shrimp, this is traditionally added but it is optional. You can stick with just the chicken, or conversely, use only shrimp.
• Shredded coconut, unsweetened, toasted. You can toast the coconut simply by adding it to a dry skillet and stirring it over medium high heat constantly until they are deep brown. (see video for desired colour.)
• Roasted peanuts, finely crushed. If possible buy raw peanuts and roast them yourself in the oven and they'll taste much better!
• Shallots, thinly sliced
• Eggs, for making boiled eggs. Though technically optional, this is a classic accompaniment to yum tua pu and they are so good together! The dressing soaks into the egg yolks and it's just uber tasty, so I recommend not skipping it!
• Mint leaves.

Dressing:

• Lime juice, fresh lime juice is best for this recipe.
• Fish sauce. See my guide on how to choose good quality fish sauce.
• Thai chili paste, also called nam prik pao. This is a key flavour in yum tua pu. You can buy nam prik pao at Asian stores, or make your own using my Thai chili paste recipe (it's not hard!)
• Coconut milk, read more about how to choose good coconut milk here.
• Garlic, grated or minced
• Thai chilies, finely chopped
• Sugar. Be prepared to adjust this amount as the Thai chili paste's sweetness can vary between brands.

How to Make Wing Bean Salad

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

Prep The Proteins - Chicken, shrimp and eggs:

*We typically poach our chicken and shrimp, but you can also cook them however you like - grill, bake, etc.They just need to be cooked one way or another. You can also use leftover roast chicken for this.

1. For the eggs: Slowly add the eggs into a pot of boiling water and boil them for 8 minutes - this gets you medium-cooked eggs. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the eggs (cuz you'll need to water so don't drain it) and put them in cold water to cool.
2. For the chicken: Turn the temperature of the water down to about medium or medium low so the water is rapidly steaming, but not bubbling (this should be 165-175°F). Cut a chicken breast in half lengthwise (you only need half for this recipe). Salt the water until the water tastes like a well-seasoned soup, then add the chicken and poach until the chicken is fully cooked, about 7 minutes. Remove the chicken (keep the water) and once cool enough, pull into shreds with your hands.
3. For the shrimp: In the same pot you used to cook the chicken, bring the water to a boil and add the shrimp and poach them until done; 30 sec-1 min. Remove from water and cool.

For the Salad

1. Blanch the wing beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 minute, then remove from water and immediately add them to a big bowl of ice water.
2. Drain well and slice beans into ¼-inch slices crosswise. If using green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces on a bias.
3. Toast the dried coconut in a dry pan over medium high heat until it's got a deep brown colour; immediately remove from the pan.
4. Grate the garlic with a microplane into the bowl, then add finely minced chilies.

5. Add the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, Thai chili paste and stir until the chili paste is dissolved. Add the coconut milk and stir to mix.
6. Add wing beans, shallots, and peanuts; toss to mix well.
7. Add the chicken, shrimp and toasted coconut and mix well.
8. Transfer onto a serving plate and serve alongside halved medium-boiled eggs. Serve with jasmine rice.

Wing Bean Salad (Yum Tua Pu)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

• Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: Serves 3-4

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Description

One of the most interesting and unique Thai salads, and also one of my favourites! Crunchy wing beans are tossed in a dressing enriched with coconut milk and Thai chili paste. With shredded chicken and poached eggs, it's filling enough to be a meal! You can sub green beans if wing beans are not available. 

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Ingredients

• 175g wing beans or green beans
• ½ chicken breast*
• 6-8 shrimp*
• 3 Tbsp shredded coconut, toasted (see video for how to toast coconut on the stove)
• 1 Tbsp roasted peanuts, finely crushed
• ½ head shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 eggs (estimate about 1 egg per person)
• ⅓ cup mint leaves

Dressing:

• 3 Tbsp lime juice
• 1.5 Tbsp fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp Thai chili paste
• 3 Tbsp coconut milk
• 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
• 2-3 Thai chilies, finely chopped
• 1 tsp sugar

Note: I'm providing instructions for poaching the chicken and the shrimp; however, you can cook them using whatever methods you wish (grill, bake, steam, sauté, etc.).

Ingredients and Kitchen Tools I Use

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Instructions

Poaching chicken and shrimp: Heat a pot of water until 165 degrees Fahrenheit (water is steaming heavily but isn’t simmering yet), salt the water until the water tastes like a well-seasoned soup, then add chicken and poach until done, about 7 minutes or longer if poaching a whole breast. If you have a thermometer, the internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 F. Remove chicken and cool. Add shrimp and poach them until done; remove from water and cool.

When chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat into shreds.

Blanching beans: Bring a large pot of water to a full boil and add enough salt until the water tastes like a well-seasoned soup. Add the wing beans and cook for 1 minute—it's important to use a large pot of water so that the water temperature doesn't drop drastically; if not using a large pot, cook in batches. Remove from water and immediately add them to a big bowl of ice water. Drain well and slice beans into ¼-inch slices crosswise. If using green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces on a diagonal.

Make medium-boiled eggs: Bring water to a full boil, gently lower eggs into the water and boil for 8 minutes. Remove from pot and immediately submerge them in a bowl of cold water. Peel them once cool enough to handle.

Assembly: Combine all dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until the chili paste is dissolved. Add wing beans, chicken, shrimp, shallots, toasted coconut, peanuts and mint; toss to mix well. Transfer onto a serving plate and serve alongside halved medium-boiled eggs.

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