Khao Kha Moo (Braised Pork Leg on Rice)
Pork leg slow-braised in soy, palm sugar and five spice until it falls apart, sliced over rice with kale, pickles and chilli vinegar.
- Region
- Central Thailand
- Condiments
- Palm Sugar, Thai Soy Sauces
- Vegetables
- Bird’s Eye Chilli, Coriander Root, Garlic, Pickled Mustard Greens, Chinese Kale
Ingredients
- 1 pork leg (hock or knuckle), about 1.5 kg, skin on, cut into 2 or 3 pieces by the butcher
- Paste: 4 coriander roots, 8 cloves garlic and 1 tsp white peppercorns
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 80 g palm sugar
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 3 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 tsp five-spice powder
- 2 litres water
- 6 eggs
- 1 bunch Chinese kale (kana), cut into 5 cm lengths
- 150 g pickled mustard greens (phak kad dong), rinsed and sliced
- Chilli vinegar: 6 bird’s eye chillies, 4 cloves garlic, 4 tbsp white vinegar, a pinch each of salt and sugar
- Jasmine rice, to serve
Instructions
Khao kha moo is a Bangkok institution, a one-plate meal sold from shops with a huge pot of dark, glistening pork legs simmering at the front. The cook pulls out a leg, chops meat, skin and fat on a wooden block and lays it over rice with a ladle of the braising liquid, a boiled egg, blanched kale and sour pickled greens.
It is a Teochew Chinese dish at heart, but the sharp green chilli vinegar and the raw garlic and chillies served alongside make it unmistakably Thai. At home it takes time, not skill, and the leftovers are even better.
Method
- Put the pork in a large pot, cover with cold water, bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse the pork and scrub off any scum. Scrape the skin with a knife to remove any stray hairs.
- Pound the coriander roots, garlic and peppercorns to a coarse paste. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat and fry the paste for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the palm sugar and stir until it melts and turns a deep amber. Add the pork and turn it in the caramel for 3–4 minutes so it colours on all sides.
- Add the soy sauces, oyster sauce, star anise, cinnamon, five-spice powder and water. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer very gently for 2½ to 3 hours, turning the pork every 30 minutes, until the skin is soft and the meat comes away from the bone.
- Meanwhile, boil the eggs for 8 minutes, cool and peel them. Add them to the pot for the last hour so they turn brown.
- Make the chilli vinegar: pound the chillies and garlic roughly, then stir in the vinegar, salt and sugar.
- Blanch the Chinese kale in boiling salted water for 1 minute and drain. Taste the braising liquid and adjust with soy sauce or sugar; it should be rich, savoury and gently sweet.
- Lift out the pork, slice the meat, skin and fat, and pile it on rice with a halved egg, kale and pickled mustard greens. Spoon over some of the braising liquid and serve with the chilli vinegar and extra raw garlic and chillies.
Cook’s tips
- Chill leftovers overnight and lift off the fat from the top of the liquid; the braise reheats beautifully.
- A pressure cooker cuts the braising time to about 50 minutes, though the skin will be a little less glossy.
Aroy Mak Mak
Aroy Mak Mak is a small team writing about the food of Thailand and its neighbours: recipes you can cook at home, guides to the ingredients behind them, and places worth travelling for. The name means "very delicious" in Thai. Every recipe on the site lists its ingredients, timings and method in full, explains the techniques that matter, and suggests substitutes for ingredients that are hard to find outside Thailand. The guides to regions, condiments, vegetables and fruits explain what things are, how they are used and how to buy and store them. Place pages are researched from current sources, including the latest Michelin Guide Thailand, official websites and maps, and give addresses, opening hours and what to order. Where a detail could not be confirmed, it is left out rather than guessed.