Recipes

Muu pat bai grapao – Stir fried minced pork with chillies and holy basil

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Ingredients

  • •
    120g pork belly

Garlic and chilli paste

  • •
    2 tablespoons peeled garlic
  • •
    Pinch sea salt
  • •
    1 teaspoon red scud chillies
  • •
    3 or 4 large scuds
  • •
    Pinch holy basil buds, tops and some leaves

Stir-fry

  • •
    2 duck eggs
  • •
    300ml oil
  • •
    Garlic and chilli paste as prepared
  • •
    Minced pork as prepared
  • •
    ½ ladle water – more or less to taste
  • •
    2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • •
    A drop dark soy sauce
  • •
    Pinch of white sugar
  • •
    Large handful of holy basil leaves

Nahm pla prik

  • •
    4 tablespoons fish sauce
  • •
    3-6 sliced scuds
  • •
    1 teaspoon peeled and sliced garlic

Method

  1. 1.
    Coarsely mince the pork. It needs to be quite fatty and don’t be afraid of including a bit of skin and gristle.
  2. 2.
    For the garlic and chilli paste: Make a coarse paste with the garlic, salt and chillies.
  3. 3.
    For the stir-fry: Heat the tempered wok. Crack the eggs. Heat the oil and fry the eggs. Try to keep them joined together. Lift out and leave in a warm place. Drain the wok of all but 3 tablespoons of the oil. Heat the oil and immediately add the paste and stir-fry for a moment. Add minced pork and continue to stir-fry for a minute until just cooked. Moisten with some water. Season the meat with the fish sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar. Be careful not to make it too salty. It should taste rich, hot, salty and spicy with the basil. Serve by placing the eggs in the bowl. Ladle the pork with its spicy sauce over one half of the eggs. Fold the other half over the pork. Serve with a bowl of Nahm pla prik.