Recipes

Moo Ping (Thai-Style Grilled Pork Skewers) with Prik Nam Som (Thai Vinegar Dipping Sauce)

A staple of Thai street food culture, these skewers feature pork marinated in a perfect harmony of sweet, savory, and smoky notes before hitting the charcoal grill. In keeping with the spirit of Southeast Asian cuisine, these tender bites are traditionally served alongside warm sticky rice and a pungent, spicy dipping sauce (Prick Nom Sam).

Moo Ping (Thai-Style Grilled Pork Skewers) with Prik Nam Som (Thai Vinegar Dipping Sauce)
By Stephanie Banyas (Adapted from Serious Eats)
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
Directions

For the Moo Ping:

  • 5 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped 
  • 3 tablespoons (15 g) minced cilantro stems, plus fresh cilantro leaves for serving
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped palm sugar or light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 1 (5 1/2-ounce; 160ml) can unsweetened coconut cream
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon MSG powder (optional)
  • 1 ½  pounds pork butt or pork loin, in one piece
  • 1 recipe Thai dried chili-vinegar dipping sauce, for serving 
  • Lime wedges
  • Cilantro leaves, for garnish

For the Thai Vinegar Dipping Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup Asian fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons pure cane sugar
  • 4 medium garlic cloves, chopped and smashed into a paste
  • 16 dried Thai chiles, ground fine 
  • 1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Thai toasted-rice powder

Moo Ping:

  1. Combine the garlic, cilantro stems, palm sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, coconut milk, white pepper, and MSG (if using) in a large bowl or baking dish and stir until palm sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
  2. Freeze pork for 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes (partially freezing the pork makes it easier to slice). 
  3. Using a sharp chef's knife or slicing knife, slice pork against the grain into 2-inch-long, 1-inch-wide, and 1/8-inch-thick strips. The easiest and most efficient way to do this is to start by portioning the pork butt into 2-inch-wide by 1-inch-thick pieces, and then slicing those pieces crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick strips.
  4. Add the pork to the marinade in the bowl and toss until every piece of meat is evenly coated in marinade. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, and up to 36 hours. The longer you let the meat marinade the better.  
  5. Thread one piece of pork onto a skewer, piercing it through twice to secure it, then pushing meat tightly together like an accordion. Continue threading pork onto skewer, making sure meat is tightly bunched together, leaving no parts of the skewer exposed except for a 2-inch handle at the bottom, and the pointy tip at the top. Repeat the skewering process with the remaining pork.
  6. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over a hot fire, about 550 degrees. 
  7. Cook, turning skewers a few times until meat is lightly charred on both sides and just cooked through, about 7minutes; if flare-ups occur, using grill gloves, raise the grates up a few turns.  Using tongs, transfer the skewers to a serving platter, loosely tent with foil and let rest for a few minutes. Serve immediately, passing lime wedges, as well as cilantro and dipping sauce (if using), at the table.



Thai Vinegar Dipping Sauce

This pungent and spicy dipping sauce features a perfect harmony of fiery, salty, and sour notes, delivering an intense hit of savory umami. An ideal accompaniment to grilled meats and fish, and seasonal vegetables. 

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