Thai Grilled Pork (Moo Ping) (aka Pork Satay) with Spicy Dipping Sauce

This dish was one that I learned to make while at Bangkok Cooking Academy in Thailand. Very simple and a lot of flavor. They are always the first thing to go when I make them! I think pork is one of the most flavorful meats as it is, but add the Thai flavors to them…amazing!

Traditionally, they serve it with glutinous rice (aka sticky rice or sweet rice), but you can just make some jasmine rice to go with it, or lay it on top of some fried rice, if you don’t have any and/or don’t want to pay for it…it’s a pretty expensive rice. But they are a gem just by themselves!

They use coriander root in this, but if you can’t find it where you live just substitute cilantro stems, that is just further up in the root 🙂 . Also, if you don’t have palm sugar you can substitute brown sugar, although the palm sugar has a very distinctive taste and a little sweeter.

When making the spicy dipping sauce, you see that it calls for “sticky rice powder”. To make this you need to lightly toast glutinous rice in a pan until golden, about 10 minutes, make sure the rice is evenly distributed and shake the pan every couple of minutes so the rice re-distributes and becomes golden on all sides. Once done, let it cook to room temperature then grind it up with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder…there you have sticky rice powder!

You will need:

• 1 pound pork loin, cut into thin slices, against the grain (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick bite sized pieces)
• 2 coriander roots OR 10 two-inch sized pieces of cilantro stems (just the stems, not the leaves)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoon white peppercorn
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup coconut cream
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or just regular soy sauce)
• 2 teaspoon Maggi sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (such as Tamari)
• 3 tablespoons canola/vegetable oil or sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon corn starch or arrow root
• 2 teaspoons baking soda (optional, as tenderizer)
• Chopped green onions or cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons ground chili powder
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 4 teaspoons sticky rice powder
• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons Thai coriander, thinly sliced

Steps:

1. Make the marinade paste by pounding together the coriander root or cilantro stems, garlic, and peppercorn in a mortar. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle you can use a small food processor or crush well in a thick plastic storage bag with a wooden rolling pin. You want it all to break down into a paste.
2. Put pork slices, the paste, and the rest of the ingredients, through the baking soda, into a bowl and mix well.
3. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
4. Thread the pork onto skewers and grill, on medium heat, on your grill, a grill pan, or in a non stick skillet, until slightly charred on both sides and cooked through.
5. As you are cooking, brush some additional coconut milk/cream on the pork occasionally to keep it moist.
6. Plate and garnish with some chopped green onions or cilantro leaves.
7. Serve with dipping sauce. To make the spicy dipping sauce just mix well all the dipping sauce ingredients (from fish sauce to Thai coriander) above, no more than 15 minutes before you eat.

Kali Orexi!