Chefs' Recipes

Amy Chanta and Palisa Anderson’s kor mhu yaang with nahm jim jaew (grilled pork neck with smoked chilli sauce)

Best served with som dtum and sticky rice.
Elise Hassey
4
35M
4H 45M
5H 20M

“Growing up, Mum had the evening off on Mondays, which meant she could take her time preparing and experimenting,” says Anderson. “Sometimes I would eat the same dinner for weeks on end until she nailed the recipe, such as this pork neck. Serve with a green papaya salad and sticky rice.” Begin this recipe a day ahead.

Want Amy Chanta’s recipe for som dtum Thai (green papaya salad)??

Ingredients

Nahm jim jaew (smoked chilli sauce)

Method

1.For marinade, pound peppercorns, coriander seeds, a pinch of salt, coriander roots and garlic in a mortar and pestle to a rough paste. Transfer to a large bowl with oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar and vinegar; stir well to combine. Add pork neck and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight to marinate.
2.Preheat oven to 120°C. For toasting makrut lime leaves and rice, place leaves and rice on separate oven trays and bake, turning occasionally, until toasted, dry and have no colour (4 hours). Heat a large frying pan over high heat, add toasted leaves and cook, tossing frequently, until golden (10 minutes). Cool, then transfer to a high speed blender and blend until a coarse sandy texture. Set aside. Repeat with rice.
3.Preheat a lightly greased barbecue or chargrill pan to high. For charring and blistering vegetables, barbecue tomatoes, garlic, red shallots and chilli, turning frequently, until charred and blistered (15 minutes). Transfer to a large oven tray and stand until cooled.
4.For sauce, place palm sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until melted (5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in fish sauce; set aside to cool completely.
5.Place remaining ingredients in a large deep mortar and pestle and pound to a paste. Add charred and blistered vegetables and continue to pound to a paste until everything is combined. Set aside. Makes 550gm.
6.Preheat oven to 200°C. Heat a large frying pan with oil over medium-high heat. Remove pork from marinade and shake off excess. Add pork to pan and cook, turning frequently, until pork is browned all over (6 minutes). Remove from pan and place on an oven tray. Roast until cooked (35-40 minutes) or until juices run clear when pierced in the centre; rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Arrange on a platter with radicchio leaves and snow pea tendrils and scatter with sliced spring onions. Serve with nahm jim jaew and ground roasted rice and makrut lime leaf powder on the side.

If pork neck isn’t available, substitute two pork cheeks. Toasted ground rice powder can be made ahead and stored in the pantry or fridge. Use it as a thickener in soups or in dishes for texture. If you do not have a large mortar and pestle, use a food processor.

Notes

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