This Thai grilled pork salad known as Moo Nam Tok is quick and easy to make, and the resulting flavors are just incredible. Thin slices of grilled pork are tossed with fresh herbs, toasted rice powder, and a vibrant spicy and sour dressing. It's bold, refreshing, and deeply satisfying.
You may be familiar with the Thai grilled steak salad known as Beef Waterfall (Neua Nam Tok). This grilled pork version known as Moo Nam Tok is slightly less well-known, but it's just as delicious.
Nam Tok salads originated in Northeastern Thailand. They're made of grilled meat, toasted rice powder, and fresh herbs including cilantro, mint, and shallots. The salad is tossed with a spicy and sour dressing made from dried chili flakes, lime juice, and fish sauce. The most common choice of grilled meat is beef (Neua in Thai), but pork (Moo in Thai) is also frequently used. Both versions are incredibly delicious!
Jump to:
What does Nam Tok mean?
In Thai, Nam means water and Tok means to fall. Nam Tok, therefore, means falling water or waterfall. These grilled meat salads of Northeastern Thai origin were named "Beef Waterfall" and "Pork Waterfall" for the drippings of juice that fall from the meat as it's being grilled.
Ingredients
- Pork: Pork neck or pork shoulder work really well in this salad, as these cuts of pork are very tender and flavorful. Marinate the pork with a simple coat of oyster sauce and sprinkling of black pepper for a few minutes before grilling.
- Toasted Rice Powder: Toasted rice powder is made by toasting uncooked sticky rice until it's golden brown, then grinding it into a powder. It adds a great toasted flavor and crunchy texture to the salad.
- Lime Juice: Lime juice adds tartness to this salad. Freshly-squeezed lime juice is best.
- Fish Sauce: Fish sauce adds the salty component to the salad.
- Dried Chili Flakes: This recipe calls for ½ teaspoon of dried chili flakes, which will result in a medium level of spice. You can adjust the amount according to your spice tolerance.
- Shallots: Small red Asian shallots are great if you can find them. If not, slice regular shallots in halves or thirds before slicing them thinly.
- Cilantro: You can use just the leaves of the cilantro plant, or coarsely chop the leaves and upper stems.
- Mint: If your mint leaves are small, they can be added whole. If they're on the bigger side, coarsely chop them before adding to the salad.
- Sawtooth coriander (optional): Also known as culantro, this herb has a flavor that's similar to cilantro, but stronger. In Thai, it's known as pak chee farang (foreigner's cilantro). Chop it finely so that there are no sharp edges. If you can't find sawtooth coriander, it's fine to leave it out.
- Lemongrass (optional): Some recipes for Nam Tok include lemongrass, and others do not. If you'd like to use it, slice the lemongrass very finely.
Instructions
Moo Nam Tok is really quick and easy to put together. Once your toasted rice powder is made, it's simply a matter of grilling your pork, chopping some herbs, and tossing it all together with the spicy and sour dressing.
Assemble Ingredients: Gather the fresh herbs that you're using, wash and pat dry. Assemble the fish sauce, lime juice, and dried chili flakes for the dressing. Make your toasted rice powder by dry frying uncooked sticky rice in a pan over medium heat. Once it is golden brown, remove from pan and let cool. Then pulse in a spice grinder or coffee grinder until the texture resembles coarse sand.
Grill the Pork: If your cut of pork is very thick (more than an inch), you can butterfly it to achieve a thinner cut. Marinate the pork with oyster sauce and black pepper for at least 10 minutes and up to overnight before grilling. Grill the pork over medium high heat until it's cooked how you like it. Let the meat rest for a few minutes and then slice against the grain into thin slices.
Prepare the Herbs: While the pork is grilling, prepare the fresh herbs. Wash and dry the cilantros and mint. If your mint leaves are small, there's no need to chop them. If they're on the larger side, coarsely chop them. Chop the cilantro leaves coarsely and the sawtooth coriander leaves finely. Slice the shallot finely.
Assemble the Salad: Combine the sliced pork with the prepared herbs. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, dried chili flakes, and toasted rice powder and toss everything together. Do a taste test and adjust the seasonings to your preference. The salad should be vibrantly spicy, sour, and salty. Serve with cabbage, long beans, extra mint, and a side of sticky rice.
Substitutions
This salad is really best if you have all of the ingredients listed above. If you don't have access to sawtooth coriander, it's fine to leave it out. If you don't have access to shallots, finely sliced red onions can be used in their place. Mint and cilantro are must-have herbs, however, and cannot be substituted.
Variations
Moo Nam Tok (Pork Waterfall) is a variation of Neua Nam Tok (Beef Waterfall). These salads contain the same ingredients and are made the same way, with the only difference being the meat that is used. Nam Tok would likely be delicious using grilled chicken as well, although this is not a common variation found in Thailand.
Nam Tok salads are closely related to Larb, another meat salad of Northeastern Thai origin. Both salads are tossed with a fish sauce / lime juice / dried chili flake dressing. They both feature cilantro, mint, and shallots as well as toasted rice powder. However, while Larb is made with minced meat, Nam Tok is always made with a single piece of grilled meat.
Storage
Moo Nam Tok is best when eaten immediately after it's made. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, but the herbs tend to wilt and turn brown quickly once dressed.
Fortunately, all of the components of the salad can be prepared ahead of time. The toasted rice powder and ground chili flakes can be made and stored in the pantry for several months. The herbs can be washed and stored in the fridge. The dressing can also be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. When you're ready to make the salad, it's simply a matter of grilling the pork and tossing it with all of the other pre-made / prepared ingredients.
Serving Suggestions
Moo Nam Tok is often served with a wedge of cabbage, long beans, and additional mint on the plate next to it. As it is of Northeastern Thai origin, this salad is most often eaten with sticky rice. These two dishes alone could make a simple meal, or you could add one or two other Thai dishes and serve them all family style.
FAQ
In Thai, Moo means pork and Nam Tok means waterfall. Moo Nam Tok is therefore known as Pork Waterfall, and refers to a salad of Northeastern Thai origin. This salad is composed of thinly sliced pieces of grilled pork tossed with fresh herbs, toasted rice powder, and a spicy and sour dressing.
Recipe
Beef Waterfall | Neua Nam Tok | เนื้อย่างน้ำตก
Ingredients
- 8 ounces beef flank steak, sirloin, tri-tip all work well
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ cup shallots sliced thinly
- ¼ cup sawtooth coriander finely chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup mint coarsely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons toasted rice powder
- ½ teaspoon roasted chili flakes
Instructions
- Make Toasted Rice Powder: Start by making toasted rice powder. Place enough uncooked sticky rice in a pan so that it covers the bottom in a single layer. Turn the heat on to low or medium low. Allow the rice to dry fry until it is evenly golden brown, stirring regularly to prevent burning. Once it is golden brown, remove from pan and let cool. Then pulse in a spice grinder or coffee grinder until the texture resembles coarse sand.
- Grill the Steak: Prepare your steak by washing it and patting it dry. If it's very thick (more than an inch), you can butterfly it to achieve a thinner cut. You can marinate it if you like, or just sprinkle salt and pepper before grilling. Grill the steak over medium high heat until it's medium rare. Let the meat rest for a few minutes and then slice against the grain into thin slices.
- Prepare the Herbs: While the steak is grilling, prepare the fresh herbs. Wash and dry the cilantros and mint. If your mint leaves are small, there's no need to chop them. If they're on the larger side, coarsely chop them. Chop the cilantro leaves coarsely and the sawtooth coriander leaves finely. Slice the shallot finely.
- Assemble the Salad: Combine the sliced steak with the prepared herbs. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, dried chili flakes, and toasted rice powder and toss everything together. Do a taste test and adjust the seasonings to your preference. The salad should be vibrantly spicy, sour, and salty. Serve with a wedge of cabbage, several long beans, and a basket of warm sticky rice.
Leave a Reply