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Sator: The Stink Bean Fried With Shrimp Paste

Sator · สะตอ · Parkia speciosa

Sator — สะตอ (sa-tor) — Parkia speciosa.

Sator — sa-tor — the southern Thai stink bean whose sulphur reek is half the point, plus how it's cooked, what's in it, and one real safety limit. Split a green pod and the flat beans hit you with a smell that clings to your breath for hours. Southern Thai cooks fry them with prawns and shrimp paste, and count that reek as part of the pleasure. The beans are a protein-dense legume with fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. The parts on your plate are the shelled beans and the tender young pods.

Pad Sator Goong fries the beans with prawns and shrimp paste, while Gaeng Tai Pla folds them into a pungent southern fish-kidney curry. Go easy, though: the beans contain djenkolic acid — a natural compound that can form sharp crystals in your kidneys if you overeat it raw. Keep them cooked and modest, and skip them if you've had kidney stones. Follow Longevity Biome for a new Thai plant every day.

Pad Sator Goong — ผัดสะตอกุ้ง (pad-sa-tor-goong)
Gaeng Tai Pla — แกงไตปลา (gaeng-tai-plah)

Source: Kamisah Y et al. (2013). Parkia speciosa Hassk.: A Potential Phytomedicine. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013:709028. PMID 23956777. DOI:10.1155/2013/709028.

Educational content, not medical advice! Consult your doctor before changing diet or medication.

#LongevityBiome #ThaiHerbs #Sator

Food and nutrients

Rich in: protein, fiber, potassium, Vitamin C

Research context

Sator's blood-sugar and antioxidant studies used seed and pod extracts in diabetic rats and lab dishes; the beans themselves are a protein-rich legume — Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2013

Safety note. Contains djenkolic acid, a sulfur amino acid that in large amounts can crystallize in the kidneys (djenkolism); eat in moderation, cooked, and avoid if you have kidney problems or a history of kidney stones.

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