Thai

Nam Ngiao

Name: Nam Ngiao
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 120 g pork spare ribs; 50 g minced pork; 50 g cooked pork blood cubes; 80 g cherry tomatoes; 5 g dried kapok flowers (dok ngiao); 3 dried long red chillies; 1 shallot; 3 garlic cloves; 1 stalk lemongrass; 1 tsp fermented soybean (tua nao) or fermented soybean paste; 0.5 tsp salt; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tbsp fish sauce; 400 ml water; 100 g fresh khanom jeen rice noodles; 30 g bean sprouts; 20 g pickled mustard greens; 1 spring onion; 1 tbsp coriander; 1 wedge lime; 10 g crispy pork rind (khaep mu)

A northern Thai noodle soup from Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai: a tomato-red pork broth scented with fermented soybean and dried kapok flowers, ladled over fresh khanom jeen rice noodles and piled with pickled greens, sprouts and crispy pork rind.

Lunch & dinner 25g+ protein 8g+ fibre

90 min25 prep · 65 cookMedium887 kcalper serving

Method

Put 5 g of dried kapok flowers in a bowl of warm water and leave to soak for 20 minutes until soft and pliable, then drain and pinch off any hard stem ends. At the same time soak 3 dried long red chillies in hot water for 15 minutes until floppy, then drain.
In a mortar, pound the drained chillies with 0.5 tsp of salt until broken down, then add 1 shallot, 3 garlic cloves and the tender lower third of 1 lemongrass stalk, finely sliced. Pound to a smooth paste, then work in 1 tsp of fermented soybean.
Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a small heavy pot over medium heat and fry the paste for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells sweet and the oil turns red. Add 50 g of minced pork and break it up with the spoon for 2 minutes until it is coated in the paste and no longer pink.