Spicy Grilled Pork Salad นำ้ตกหมู

Spicy Grilled Pork Salad นำ้ตกหมู

Northeastern Thai dishes are characterised by their strong pungent flavours and smells, reflecting the region's, known locally as Esarn, landscapes. Esarn is the least fertile region of Thailand where food is gathered from the land. The food is traditionally steamed, boiled, grilled, curried or spicy and flavoursome salads but not fried. Cooking with fat was a luxury that not many families could afford (not the case anymore obviously, there's now a KFC and a Tesco Superstore selling Western ingredients, 20km from the family farm). I think the first time my family started cooking with vegetable oil was around 1996 and we were not anywhere near being the poorest.

This dish is extremely popular and is sold in EVERY Esarn restaurant.

In 2011 CNNGo listed this spicy salad dish at number 19 on the World's 50 Most Delicious Foods.

Preparation:

In a frying pan, dry roast

-2tbsp of rice until golden brown.

Finely grind using a pestle and mortar. Leave aside.

Put the pan back on heat, dry roast

-6-8 dry chillies.

Cook, stirring until lightly charred.

Finely grind using a pestle and mortar. 

Leave aside.

      The vegetables.

-2 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced,

-2 shallots, thinly sliced,

-2 spring onions, thinly sliced,

-2tbsp coriander, stalk chopped, leaves picked,

-1tbsp mint

-3 sliced chillies.

-juice of 1 lime.

Leave aside.

     The Meat

In a bowl, put in

-500g Pork shoulder steaks,

-1tsp sea salt, 

-2 cloves crushed garlic,

-1tbsp malt vinegar,

-1tbsp fish sauce.

Mix well to combine.

Leave to marinate for at least an hour.

Cook the pork steaks under a hot grilled or over charcoals.

I cooked mine in an AirFryer at 180c for 15 minutes.

Leave to rest and slice into bite size pieces.

   The sauce.

In a small saucepan, put in

-200g chicken stock, with

-1tbsp fish sauce.

Bring up to the simmer.

Add,

-the sliced pork,

-the vegetables,

-roasted rice.

-roasted chillies.

Gently mix together. 

Serve with rice.