Thai

Khao Kha Mu

Name: Khao Kha Mu
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h 35 min
Total time: 2 h 55 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 250 g pork hock; 80 g jasmine rice; 1 egg; 30 g pickled mustard greens; 4 cloves garlic; 2 coriander roots; 0.5 tsp white peppercorns; 1.5 tbsp palm sugar; 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tsp dark soy sauce; 1 tsp oyster sauce; 0.5 tsp five-spice powder; 1 star anise; 1 cinnamon stick; 500 ml water; 1 tsp vegetable oil; 60 g pak choi; 2 cloves garlic; 3 red bird's eye chillies; 2 tbsp white vinegar; 1 tsp sugar; coriander leaves; salt

A Thai street-food classic: pork hock slow-braised until the skin turns glossy and the meat falls from the bone in a dark, five-spice-scented gravy, spooned over jasmine rice with a braised egg, pickled mustard greens and a sharp chilli-garlic vinegar.

Lunch & dinner 25g+ protein 8g+ fibre

175 min20 prep · 155 cookMedium1003 kcalper serving

Method

In a mortar, pound 0.5 tsp of white peppercorns to a powder, then add 2 coriander roots and 4 cloves garlic cloves and pound to a coarse, fragrant paste. Set aside.
Rinse 250 g of pork hock, put it in a small saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Boil hard for 5 minutes, skimming the grey scum, then drain and rinse the pork under running water. This keeps the finished gravy clear and glossy.
Wipe the pan dry, add 1 tsp of vegetable oil and 1.5 tbsp of chopped palm sugar and melt over medium heat until it bubbles to a deep amber caramel, about 2 minutes. Stir in the pounded paste for 30 seconds until aromatic, then add the pork and turn it to coat in the caramel.
Add 1.5 tbsp of light soy sauce, 1 tsp of dark soy sauce, 1 tsp of oyster sauce, 0.5 tsp of five-spice powder, 1 star anise, 1 piece of cinnamon and 500 ml of water. Bring to the boil, lower to the barest simmer, cover and cook for 2 hours 30 minutes, turning the pork every 40 minutes and topping up with a splash of hot water if the liquid drops below halfway. The skin should be wobbling and translucent and the meat pulling from the bone.