The smell of fried garlic and steaming rice broth is what greets us on our way down to the farm house, three out of seven days. (On the other days, it’s porridge and bananas for three, and the day after we make bread, it’s toast and a plethora of jams). Khao tom means rice soup in Thai, and it’s one of the most simple, unglamorous things you could make: rice cooked in pork broth. It’s become one of my favorite things to wake up to, especially when it’s got a garden of cilantro and scallions on top.
On New Year’s Day, Nok’s best friend Nok1 fried garlic and onions to serve alongside, and made the broth using a pork bone instead of a bouillon cube. Ever since I’ve been utterly captivated, and this is absolutely one of those dishes that I’m going to keep making once we leave this continent.
To make it, you barely need a recipe, but I’m putting it here for posterity, and also to show off the killer pictures I took the last time we made it.
Khao Tom Muu, Mae Mut Style
300g ground pork, or however much you’d like
vegetable oil, lard, or some other fat for frying
enough water to fill a wok or pot
a sizeable pork bone, not scanty on meat
4 cups of jasmine rice, uncooked
fish sauce, to taste
In a large wok or pot, heat a few tablespoons of oil and then add the ground pork, stir-frying until lightly browned. Add the pork bone and eight cups of water and bring it all to a boil. Add the jasmine rice and again bring to a boil. Cook until the jasmine rice is tender, about twenty minutes, adding water as necessary to ensure that what you are making is soup, and not runny rice. Season the broth with a few dashes of fish sauce, to taste. What you’re looking for is a barely thickened broth, with plump grains of rice.
To garnish:
finely chopped cilantro and scallions
garlic, fried and lightly salted
onions, fried and lightly salted
If there are leftovers, when you reheat the soup you’ll need to add more water. The rice will absorb much of the broth, and might begin to break down, so it will be thicker, but just as delicious.
300g ground pork, or however much you’d like
vegetable oil, lard, or some other fat for frying
enough water to fill a wok or pot
a sizeable pork bone, not scanty on meat
4 cups of jasmine rice, uncooked
fish sauce, to taste
In a large wok or pot, heat a few tablespoons of oil and then add the ground pork, stir-frying until lightly browned. Add the pork bone and eight cups of water and bring it all to a boil. Add the jasmine rice and again bring to a boil. Cook until the jasmine rice is tender, about twenty minutes, adding water as necessary to ensure that what you are making is soup, and not runny rice. Season the broth with a few dashes of fish sauce, to taste. What you’re looking for is a barely thickened broth, with plump grains of rice.
To garnish:
finely chopped cilantro and scallions
garlic, fried and lightly salted
onions, fried and lightly salted
If there are leftovers, when you reheat the soup you’ll need to add more water. The rice will absorb much of the broth, and might begin to break down, so it will be thicker, but just as delicious.
1 Hardly the most confusing relationship/name situation we’ve encountered. The village woman who delivers water has two sons named Noh and Nôh (midtone and falling tone respectively) and Marco’s friend Nói (high tone) runs a coffeeshop in the nearest big town. Her sister’s name is Noi.
This looks and sounds more pleasant than a piece of toast in the morning, but no coffee? We're deeply envious, and not just because its about 60 degrees (f) warmer where you are. Love the brick making process; like stomping grapes for wine.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday for prosperity, too!
ReplyDeleteDELISH!
ReplyDelete:D