Khao Pad Muh – fried rice with pork

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 g pork fillet(s)
• 500 g rice, cooked, Thai fragrant rice or jasmine rice
• 1 bunch garlic grass, or Thai spring onions
• 1 garlic clove(s), 2 cloves if using spring onions
• some salt
• 1 pinch(s) palm sugar
• 4 tbsp oil (peanut or soybean oil)
• 3 eggs
• 5 tbsp oyster sauce
• 3 tbsp soy sauce, light
• 2 stalks of coriander
• cucumber(s)
• possibly chili pepper(s) (banana chili)
• possibly tomato(s), quartered

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Chop the garlic and crush it in a mortar with a little salt. Finely chop the garlic paste; if using spring onions, cut them into sticks. Cut the prepared meat into fine strips. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok, crack in the eggs, and when the egg whites begin to set, lightly stir the yolks with a spatula or fork. Fry on each side for about 2 minutes over medium heat. Remove from the pan and lightly break them up with a spatula and fork. Stir the remaining oil into the wok and fry the meat in batches. Remove from the pan. Reduce the heat, lightly fry the garlic paste in the wok, add the meat, and mix with the egg. It’s best to also stir in the rice in batches, stirring constantly while heating. Pour in the oyster sauce and soy sauce along the sides of the wok and heat everything through, stirring with a spatula. Finally, stir in the garlic paste or spring onions. Garnish the plates with cucumber slices, banana chili rings, and coriander. Arrange the Khao Pad Moo on top. Note: this is a simple, spicy everyday dish in Thai cuisine. It’s a great way to use up leftover rice from the day before, but you can also cook the rice on the same day. You just need to follow a few guidelines to make it a success. The rice should ideally be room temperature and dry. Freshly steamed, it’s best to shred it with a fork in a large, flat dish and leave the rice to cool for a few hours in the switched off oven. Even rice from the day before can be stored in a bowl. Take it out of the fridge about an hour before cooking and shred it on a flat dish. If the rice is too cold, it will stay hard and will be difficult to separate with a spatula when stir-frying in a wok, and it will fall apart if you try. If the rice is too warm, it will become sticky, stick to the wok, overcook, and become mushy. Garlic grass or spring onions are essential at the end, and coriander is a must. Prik Nahm Plah goes well with this dish.