There's nothing more satisfying than a small plate of fried pork with garlic (moo tod gratiem, หมูกระเทียม) when you're really hungry. This traditional Thai dish is elegantly simple to make -- you just deep fry several well-seasoned pieces of pork and top them with crispy bites of garlic -- but it's so flavorful that all you'll need is a small taste.
That's not to say that you won't be longing for more long after your small taste is gone...
In Thailand, fried pork with garlic is generally eaten as a snack with nuts and beer. You can also find fried quail with garlic, fried frog legs with garlic, and other variations on the theme. In the U.S., fried pork with garlic is commonly served as an appetizer.
I experimented with this dish last weekend with the boyfriend as my eager taste-tester. The first attempt was too salty, but the second try was just perfect. And I don't think the boyfriend was too disappointed that he had to eat fried pork with garlic two days in a row 🙂 The final recipe is below... Enjoy!
Recipe
Fried Pork with Garlic | Moo Tod Gratiem | หมูกระเทียม
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork tenderloin
- 2 teaspoons tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 12 cloves garlic chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon thin soy sauce
- canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Slice the pork into ¼ inch thick pieces, then pound with a mallet to tenderize. Chop the garlic finely and reserve half for the pork marinade.
- Put the reserved garlic in a bowl with tapioca flour, ground white pepper, and ground coriander.
- Add the sliced pork, soy sauce, and fish sauce and marinate for ~30 minutes.
- While the pork is marinating, heat a wok with approximately 1 inch of canola oil in it over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, fry the other half of the garlic until it is golden brown. Remove the fried garlic from the oil and set it aside for use as a topping.
- Then turn the heat on the oil up to high and deep-fry the pork until it is cooked through. It should be very soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. Remove the pork from the hot oil and allow to drain on a towel.
- Top the deep-fried pork with the fried garlic and enjoy while it's still hot.
Helan
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.my family loved it.will be sharing this recipe with my friends.they will like it.
Ted
Love reading about your experience with Thai food by marrying a Thai! I am a half/half so I am familiar with the snack cravings of deep fried pork (or gizzards) at night. When I was growing up, my Thai mom would make something similar after our bed time and I would get up cause of that garlicky fried smell wanting a few bites. Now as an adult, I am glad I learned how to cook from my mom so I can make my Thai snacks.
Aaron
Hi Rachel, I tried this recipe once but my pork did not turn out looking like the one in the photo. How did you manage to make it brown? Was the meat deep fried? Did you coat the meat in any flour before frying?
Rachel
Hi Aaron, yes, the meat should be deep fried. I apologize the recipe wasn't more clear - I will correct that.
Jenny
I just made this, and it is SO GOOD!
Indri
Thanks for this recipe, Rachel 🙂
It's really nice, and my husband really love this recipe...
We've cooked this so many times since we found your recipe
One of our favourites ^^
Tangkwa
thank you from this menu Rachel!
julia
can you recommend a sauce for this one? 🙂