Moo Palo (Five-Spice Pork and Egg Stew)
A sweet, aromatic Thai-Chinese stew of pork belly and boiled eggs in a soy and five-spice broth, simmered until meltingly tender.
- Region
- Central Thailand
- Condiments
- Palm Sugar, Thai Soy Sauces
- Vegetables
- Coriander Root, Garlic
Ingredients
- 600 g skin-on pork belly, cut into 3 cm chunks
- 6 eggs
- Paste: 4 coriander roots, 6 cloves garlic and 1 tsp white peppercorns
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 60 g palm sugar
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp five-spice powder
- 2 star anise and 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1.2 litres water
- 150 g fried tofu puffs (optional)
- Jasmine rice and pickled mustard greens or chilli vinegar, to serve
Instructions
Kai palo, or moo palo when pork is the star, is everyday home cooking in Bangkok and the central plains: a pot of eggs and pork belly simmered in a dark, sweet broth scented with five spice. The word palo comes from the Teochew name for the spice mix, and the dish is a gentle, comforting reminder of how deeply Chinese cooking runs through Thai kitchens.
It is soupier than most braises, meant to be ladled over rice, and sweeter too, balanced with a sharp chilli vinegar or sour pickled greens on the side.
Method
- Boil the eggs for 8 minutes, cool them in cold water and peel. Blanch the pork in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and rinse.
- Pound the coriander roots, garlic and peppercorns to a coarse paste.
- Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and fry the paste for 1 minute until golden. Add the palm sugar and stir until it melts and darkens to a light caramel.
- Add the pork and stir for 3–4 minutes to coat it in the caramel. Add the five-spice powder and stir for 30 seconds, then add the soy sauces, fish sauce, star anise, cinnamon and water.
- Bring to the boil, skim off any scum, then lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour.
- Add the eggs and the tofu puffs, if using, and simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes, turning the eggs now and then so they colour evenly, until the pork is very tender.
- Taste the broth: it should be sweet, salty and fragrant. Adjust with soy sauce, fish sauce or sugar, and serve with rice and chilli vinegar or pickled greens.
Cook’s tips
- Five-spice powder varies a lot in strength. Start with 1½ tsp if yours is fresh, and add more at the end if you want it stronger.
- Like khao kha moo, moo palo is better the next day, when the eggs have soaked up more of the broth.
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.