Thai-style Pork Salad

thai pork salad

Ingredients

Serves 4

For the dressing:

80 g shallots, chopped
Bunch coriander, chopped
4 tsp light brown sugar
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 cm piece ginger, roughly chopped
5 tbsp soy sauce
5 tbsp groundnut oil
2 tbsp fish sauce
½ tsp salt
3 bird’s eye chillies, chopped

For the marinade:

4 pork steaks
4 tsp light brown sugar
200ml of the dressing
½ tsp sea salt

For the salad:

100g red cabbage, finely shredded
100g white cabbage, finely shredded
1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
4 baby cucumbers, thinly sliced
5 salad onions, thinly sliced on an angle
Bunch mint, leaves picked
Bunch coriander, leaves picked
Bunch Thai basil, leaves picked
50g dry-roasted peanuts, chopped
50g roasted salted cashews, chopped

To garnish:

8 sprigs coriander
Handful Thai basil
2 red chillies, sliced

Method

Put all the dressing ingredients into a blender and pulse until the vegetables are finely chopped.
For the marinade, take 200ml of the dressing and mix with the sugar and ½ tsp sea salt.
Put the pork into a plastic bag and pour over the marinade. Seal the bag, extracting any excess air, and massage the marinade into the meat. Chill in the fridge until needed.
Wash the rice in a sieve and put it into a saucepan with the coconut milk, the kaffir lime leaves and 150ml water. Simmer over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally to prevent it catching, until all the liquid has absorbed – about 10 minutes. Cover until ready to serve.
Place a griddle pan over a medium-high heat and brush with a little oil. Put the marinated pork into the pan, reserving the marinade in the bag, and cook according to pack instructions, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Transfer any excess marinade to a small pan and bring to the boil. Boil for a minute or two until reduced slightly, then set aside.
Combine the salad ingredients in a bowl and toss well with the remaining dressing.
Cover a large plate with cling film and lightly brush with vegetable oil. Brush the coriander sprigs with a little oil on both sides, then lay them on top of the cling film. Microwave for 4 minutes, or until crispy – if the sprigs aren’t crispy, return to the microwave for a further 30 seconds.
Thinly slice the pork, divide between serving dishes and serve with the boiled marinade drizzled over the top, along with the rice and salad. Garnish with the crispy coriander, Thai basil and red chilli.

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