Moo Hong (Phuket Braised Pork Belly)
Phuket’s Hokkien-style pork belly, braised in soy sauce, garlic and black pepper until dark, glossy and meltingly soft.
- Region
- Southern Thailand
- Condiments
- Palm Sugar, Oyster Sauce, Thai Soy Sauces
- Vegetables
- Garlic, Pickled Mustard Greens
Ingredients
- 800 g skin-on pork belly, cut into 4 cm chunks
- 1 head garlic, peeled
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 tbsp palm sugar
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 star anise (optional)
- 600 ml water
- Jasmine rice and pickled mustard greens, to serve
Instructions
Moo hong comes from Phuket’s Peranakan (Baba) community, descended from Hokkien Chinese settlers who came to work in the tin mines. It is a simple dish with a deep flavour: pork belly braised with a lot of garlic and black pepper in soy sauce until the sauce turns dark and sticky.
Method
- Pound the garlic and peppercorns together in a mortar to a coarse paste.
- Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and fry the garlic and pepper paste for 1–2 minutes until golden and fragrant.
- Add the pork and stir-fry for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add the palm sugar and stir until it melts and coats the pork.
- Add both soy sauces, the oyster sauce, star anise and water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 1 to 1½ hours, stirring now and then, until the pork is very tender.
- Uncover and simmer for another 10–15 minutes until the sauce reduces to a thick, glossy glaze. Taste and adjust with soy sauce or sugar.
- Serve with jasmine rice and pickled mustard greens to cut the richness.
Cook’s tips
- Do not skimp on the pepper; moo hong should have a real peppery warmth.
- Like most braises, it tastes even better reheated the next day.
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.