These grilled pork skewers known as Moo Ping are one of my all-time favorite Thai foods. Succulent bites of pork are marinated in a salty, sweet, and garlicky marinade and then grilled to perfection. When served with Thai sticky rice, it becomes one of the most satisfying meals I know.
I made moo ping for the first time about 10 years ago. Since then, I've enjoyed these grilled pork skewers more times than I can count, on the streets of Thailand as well as from the comfort of my home. Now it's not just one of my favorite foods, it's also one of my kids' all-time favorite Thai foods.
These succulent skewers of marinated grilled pork are a popular street food in Thailand. There, they're often eaten for breakfast or as a mid-day snack. In the West, moo ping is often served as a Thai appetizer. However, when combined with sticky rice and perhaps another dish or two, they could definitely be served as part of the main meal.
Jump to:
What is Moo Ping?
Moo ping is the Thai phrase for these delicious marinated grilled pork skewers. "Moo" is the Thai word for pork. "Ping" is the Thai word for grilled, and usually connotes grilled foods on a stick or skewer. (See HOW TO: Interpret a Thai menu for more Thai culinary words.)
The pork is sliced into bite-sized pieces and marinated for several hours before being skewered and grilled over an open flame. Like many other Thai grilled meats, the pork marinade is composed of the aromatic trio of garlic, cilantro roots, and white pepper. Several salty seasoning sauces, sugar, and milk are added to this base. The resulting flavor is primarily salty, sweet, and garlicky, with a very slight spice from the white pepper.
Garlic, White Pepper, and Cilantro Roots
Garlic, white pepper, and cilantro roots form the base of many meat marinades in Thai cuisine. This trio of aromatic ingredients are pounded together with a mortar and pestle to form a fine paste. Then some form of salt and sugar is usually added to round out the marinade.
Garlic is the easiest of these ingredients to find. Simply peel the garlic cloves and add to the mortar and pestle. White pepper can be added as whole white peppercorns or ground white pepper, depending on what you can find nearby and your preference.
Cilantro roots can be harder to find. I can often buy cilantro with the roots attached at my local farmer's market, and at nearby grocers that cater towards Thai and Southeast Asian populations. You can cut the roots off and store them in the freezer for many months without the taste deteriorating. If you're not able to find cilantro roots, the stems of cilantro or even coriander seeds can be substituted.
The Other Ingredients
- Pork Tenderloin: Pork tenderloin is the easiest cut to work with, although pork shoulder and other cuts can also be used. The pork should be sliced in thin, bite-sized pieces against the grain.
- Thin Soy Sauce: Thai thin soy sauce is different than Japanese or Chinese soy sauces. The regular or mushroom flavored thin soy sauce both work well.
- Oyster Sauce: Oyster sauce adds a salty and slightly sweet flavor to the marinade. Again, a Thai brand of oyster sauce is preferred.
- Dark Thick Soy Sauce: This sauce adds that salty flavor as well as a rich caramelized flavor and dark color to the marinade.
- Granulated Sugar and Palm Sugar: Both granulated white sugar and palm sugar are added to the marinade for a depth of flavor that either alone cannot give.
- Whole Milk: Whole cow's milk provides fat and moisture to the marinade. Coconut milk, or even evaporated milk, is sometimes used in place of cow's milk in Thailand. Coconut milk can also be used for basting the skewers as they grill.
Instructions
Moo ping is made by marinating bite-sized pieces of pork with the earthy, slightly spicy cilantro root-garlic-white pepper marinade. Once the pork has had a few hours to soak up all of these wonderful flavors, the pieces are threaded onto bamboo skewers and grilled, basting with coconut milk to seal in all of the rich, deep flavors and moisture.
Step 1: Pound the cilantro roots, garlic, and white pepper into a fine paste. Add the other ingredients and allow the pork to marinate for several hours to several days in the refrigerator.
Step 2: Soak the bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent burning. Take the marinated pork out of the fridge and thread onto the skewers, bunching the pieces up to prevent drying out.
Step 3: Brush the skewers with oil, then place on the grill over medium high heat. Allow to cook for ~5 minutes on each side until the pork is cooked through. Baste with coconut milk if you like.
Step 4: Serve the moo ping skewers immediately with a side of sticky rice. It also goes well with the Northeastern Thai dipping sauce known as nam jim jaew, although this sauce is not necessary for serving.
How to Serve Moo Ping
Moo Ping is most often served with sticky rice. You can take a ball of sticky rice in between your fingers and eat it in between bites of grilled pork. I also enjoy serving the spicy and sour Northeastern Thai dipping sauce known as nam jim jaew with these pork skewers. It brings spiciness and sourness to the otherwise salty, sweet pork. Serving a salad such as green papaya salad (som tam) with moo ping and sticky rice would help to round it out and make a complete meal.
FAQ
"Moo" is the Thai word for pork. "Ping" is the Thai word for grilling, and usually connotes foods grilled on a stick or skewer. Therefore, Moo Ping refers to Thai grilled pork skewers. For more meanings of Thai culinary words, see How to Interpret a Thai Menu.
"Mu" or "Moo" in Thai means pork. Any cut of pork will work to make these delicious Thai grilled pork skewers, but pork tenderloin or pork shoulder are most commonly used.
"Yang" and "Ping" are both used in the Thai language to refer to grilling. However, "Ping" usually connotes foods grilled on a stick. Moo Yang could be any cut of pork grilled without being skewered, the most common of which is "Kor Moo Yang" or grilled pork neck.
Recipe
Moo Ping (Thai Grilled Pork Skewers)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds pork tenderloin cut into bite-sized strips
- 10 cloves garlic
- 1.5 teaspoons white pepper powder
- 2 cilantro roots (or ½ cup cilantro stems)
- 2 Tablespoons thin soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
- ½ Tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1.5 Tablespoons palm sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
Instructions
- Prepare the cilantro roots by scraping the skin off and finely mincing them. Peel the garlic cloves. Combine the prepared garlic, cilantro roots, and white pepper powder in a mortar and pestle and pound until a paste is formed.
- Add the thin soy sauce, oyster sauce, and dark soy sauce, white sugar, palm sugar, and milk to the cilantro-garlic-peppercorn paste and mix until all ingredients are combined.
- Cut the pork tenderloin into small, approximately ½ inch pieces. Place the pork and the marinade into a container and ensure that all of the pork is covered by the marinade. Cover, refrigerate, and allow it to marinate for at least 2 hours. Overnight is even better.
- While the pork marinates, soak the bamboo skewers in water. They should soak for at least 30 minutes before grilling. When the pork has marinated, thread the pork pieces tightly onto the skewers, approximately four to six pieces per skewer. Coat the skewers with any remaining marinade paste.
- Heat the grill to medium heat. Place the skewers on the grill and brush with a mild-flavored oil such as canola. Allow the pork skewers to grill until cooked through, approximately 5 minutes per side. Baste with coconut milk, if you like.
- Serve immediately with sticky rice.
Video
Leave a Reply