{"id":109773,"title":"Authentic Thai Moo Grob","modified":"2025-10-29T15:42:26+01:00","plain":"A delicious Thai icon: crispy pork. Crispy, tender, and deeply aromatic\u2014pure bliss in every bite\n\n\n\nMoo Grob, an iconic dish of Thai cuisine, captures the culinary richness of this region (and of my Asian recipe blog, too. What? You have to toot your own horn once in a while).\n\n\n\nThis crispy pork, known for its irresistibly crackly skin and succulent meat, offers a one-of-a-kind eating experience.\n\n\n\nOn my trip to Thailand, I was particularly captivated by this dish, which stands out both in lively night markets and in small villages. I swear, there were BIG PILES of Moo Grob on the stalls\u2014it was so appetizing.\n\n\n\nWell, I couldn\u2019t find a photo of the huge piles of Moo Grob, but you can spot a small one at the top left. Sorry\u2014I was too busy enjoying myself to take pictures\n\n\n\nHistory of Moo Grob\n\n\n\nInitially reserved for big celebrations and festivals, this dish evolved into a staple of local street food. Its origins date back to a time when cooking reflected abundance and prosperity.\n\n\n\nOver the centuries, Moo Grob has adapted and reinvented itself, reflecting the evolution of Thai society.\n\n\n\nYum\u2014perfectly crispy pieces\n\n\n\nAt the heart of this dish lies the constant quest for the perfect balance of textures and flavors, a hallmark of Thai cuisine.\n\n\n\nThe popularity of Moo Grob has spread far beyond Thailand\u2019s borders, winning the hearts and palates of food lovers around the world.\n\n\n\nYou\u2019ll find it in traditional and modern dishes alike\u2014a testament to its cultural importance and culinary versatility. Serve it with a side of crispy enoki.\n\n\n\nThai-style crispy enoki\n\n\n\nIngredients for Moo Grob\n\n\n\nYou\u2019ll find all the Thai classics here\u2014coriander, white pepper, fish sauce, and lime. It\u2019s a great example of traditional Thai cooking.\n\n\n\nBeyond that, there aren\u2019t many specialty ingredients. Use any cut of pork you like, but for this dish I highly recommend pork belly.\n\n\n\nThe importance of toasted sticky rice powder (Khao Khua)\n\n\n\nHave you ever wondered, while savoring a Thai dish, what that intriguing texture with smoky, nutty notes was that lifts the whole plate?\n\n\n\nWell, that\u2019s toasted rice powder, also known as Khao Khua in Thailand. This powder is made by gently toasting raw sticky rice in a dry pan, then grinding it into a coarse powder.\n\n\n\nThis essential component appears in a variety of Thai and Lao dishes, including the famous crying tiger beef, as well as in dipping sauces like the nam jim in this recipe and in soups. Khao Khua plays a key role, binding ingredients, adding texture, and thickening soups and sauces.\n\n\n\nToasted sticky rice being ground\n\n\n\nAlthough you can buy ready-made toasted rice powder in Asian grocery stores, making it at home is a breeze. Plus, the aroma that wafts from sticky rice as it toasts is utterly spellbinding.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\tAuthentic Thai Moo Grob\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tWok\t\n\t\n\t\t600 g pork belly (in one piece)neutral oil, for fryingMarinade1 tablespoon fish sauce0.5 teaspoon white pepper1 teaspoon garlic powder2 tablespoons all-purpose flour2 tablespoons cornstarch1 pinch baking sodaBlanching1 tablespoon rice vinegar (per liter of water)1 tablespoon salt (per liter of water)1 L water (enough to cover the pork)Thai Nam Jim Jaew Dipping Sauce1.5 tablespoons lime juice2 tablespoons fish sauce1.5 teaspoons sugar0.5 tablespoon chili flakes0.5 tablespoon glutinous rice (to toast)2 stalks chopped cilantro1 thinly sliced shallot\t\n\t\n\t\tCut the pork belly into 2.5 to 4 cm slices, to your preference.Boil the slices for 5 to 10 minutes.Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 to 2 hours to air-dry.Toss with the marinade ingredients and let rest for 20 minutes.Fry over medium heat (about 150 degrees; not too hot) for about 10 minutes. Cover, if needed, to prevent splatters.When the bubbling quiets and the pork turns golden, remove it from the oil and increase the heat to high until very hot (180 degrees).Return the pork to the oil; the skin will puff almost immediately. Fry for about 1 minute.Remove from the heat and let cool slightly before serving.Dipping SauceIn a dry pan, toast the raw glutinous rice until golden.Transfer to a mortar and pestle and grind into a coarse powder.Combine all ingredients in a bowl (including the toasted rice powder).\t\n\t\n\t\tWatch out for oil splatters when frying!\n\t\n\t\n\t\tAccompagnement, Plat principalTha\u00eflandaiseporc croustillant","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109773"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110046,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109773\/revisions\/110046"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}