Moo Palu Thai Stew

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 300 g pork belly
• 300 g pork shoulder or similar meat
• 10 shiitake mushroom(s), dried
• 200 g tofu or smoked tofu
• 6 eggs
• 200 ml water, more if needed
• 1 tbsp soy sauce, thick
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, thin
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 100 g sugar or palm sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick(s)
• 1 star anise
• 1 tbsp five-spice powder
• 1 tbsp soy sauce, thick, sweet (Thai sauce)
• 3 coriander roots, alternatively coriander stalks
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp peppercorns
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours

exotic, mildly spicy stew

Soak the shiitake mushrooms for at least 15 minutes, then strain them through a sieve. Reserve the mushroom water. Quarter the mushrooms. Hard-boil and peel the eggs. Make a seasoning paste in a mortar and pestle with garlic cloves, coriander roots (alternatively, coriander stalks), peppercorns, and salt. Cut the tofu into 1 cm cubes and fry in hot fat. When everything is golden brown, add the tofu to a bowl of hot, almost boiling water and let it stand for 15 minutes. Then strain the cubes through a sieve. Cut the pork belly into 1 cm cubes and fry until hot without fat. Then add the pork shoulder, which has been cut into 1 cm cubes. Fry everything thoroughly and set aside. In a large saucepan, caramelize the sugar over low heat, adding a little water if necessary. When the mixture is smooth, add the seasoning paste, the cinnamon stick, and the five-spice powder. Stir everything vigorously. Add the meat and eggs, along with the mushroom liquid, the sauces mentioned above, and 250 ml of liquid, or more if needed. Add the star anise, but be careful: if it’s left in too long, it will become pungent, so it’s best to remove it in a spiced egg or similar container. Simmer everything for 1 hour and serve with rice. Moo Palu Thai stew is available straight from the pot in many street restaurants in Thailand; it originally came from Chinese immigrants.