Shrimp with Green Beans in Coconut Milk

This dish is adapted from a Ken Hom recipe and another found in Anita Loh-Yien Lau's Asian Greens. The Ken Hom recipe has been a favorite every time I've made it, so I adapted that sauce to the ingredients I had on hand. The addition of the shrimp paste really made it, MZ devoured the green beans, R bogarted the shrimp and I was satisfied with the whole dish: the lovely pale yellow sauce contrasted with the green beans, the aromatics and the soothing flavors.

I used a bag of frozen white shrimp from Ikea of all places, an impulse buy for sure. What exactly is the carbon footprint of those shrimp, I dare ask? They were fully cooked, making this dish a snap to prepare in just 20 minutes.

4 large shallots, peeled and finely diced
1 pinch chile pepper flakes
1/2 t Thai shrimp paste
1 T coconut, vegetable or peanut oil (if there isn't enough coconut cream in the can)
1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut to 1.5" lengths
1 14 oz can coconut milk
1/4 t salt
1/4 t tumeric
1 t sugar
1 T fish sauce
1 lb large bay shrimp, cooked

Open the can of coconut milk -- do not shake before opening. If there is any thick almost-solid cream at the top, place that in a warm broad saucepan. Substitute oil as needed to reach ~1.5 T. When the coconut cream is melted, add the shallots, chile pepper flakes and shrimp paste. ry till fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the green beans, sugar, salt and tumeric and stir to coat. Stir-fry about 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, bring to a simmer and cook until the beans are to your liking. Add the shrimp and fish sauce, stir, and simmer till the shrimp are fully heated.

Serve with mounds of white or brown rice.