Your next foodie vacation may not happen for a while, but in the meantime, you can create some of your favourite regional cuisine at home.
Start with Kraduk Moo Tod, a Thai dish of fried pork ribs.
I chose soft bone ribs upon a friend's suggestion. If you wish, you can get the butcher to cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. You can also use spare ribs or prime ribs.
To get that rustic taste, I went old-school and used a mortar and pestle to crush the coriander, white peppercorns and garlic. This mixture is the most important part of the marinade.
It is a bonus if you can get hold of Thai garlic, which is smaller and spicier than the regular kind.
Use a fine skewer to poke the meat so that the marinade can better penetrate it.
And if you like Thai-style chilli dips, this recipe includes a spicy tangy dip that goes well with the fried ribs. What gives the dip a unique flavour is roasted rice powder. I took the easy route and bought ready-to-use roasted rice powder from a Thai supermarket.
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KRADUK MOO TOD
INGREDIENTS
1½ Tbs white peppercorns
25g Thai garlic, peeled
25g fresh coriander including the roots, chopped
380g soft bone ribs, cut into bite-sized pieces of 4cm by 4cm
1 Tbs fish sauce
1 Tbs light soya sauce
2 Tbs oyster sauce
30g palm sugar
1 Tbs tapioca flour
1 Tbs cornflour
400ml cooking oil
INGREDIENTS FOR CHILLI DIP
40ml fish sauce
30ml lime juice
1½ Tbs palm sugar
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2½ Tbs Thai chilli powder
1 Tbs roasted rice powder
12g fresh coriander, chopped
METHOD
1. Using a mortar and pestle, crush and grind the white peppercorns. Add the garlic and pound into a paste. Add the coriander and pound into a paste. Set aside.
2. Place the ribs in a deep dish. Add the fish sauce, light soya sauce, oyster sauce and palm sugar. Mix well.
3. Add the coriander mixture and mix well. Add the tapioca and cornflour, then mix well.
4. Place in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour.
5. In the meantime, prepare the chilli dip. In a bowl, pour in fish sauce, lime juice and Thai palm sugar.
6. Add the garlic, Thai chilli powder and roasted rice powder. Stir well.
7. Add fresh coriander and stir. Set aside.
8. Remove the pork from the fridge 15 minutes before frying.
9. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat.
10. Place a third of the pork ribs into the oil. Lower the heat to medium-low and fry for six to eight minutes until the ribs are browned and cooked through. Remove and place the ribs on kitchen paper to drain the excess oil.
11. Cook the remaining pork in two batches. Leave enough space between each piece of rib to prevent them from sticking together and to ensure they fry evenly.
12. Serve the ribs with the chilli dip on the side.
Serves two to three
