Leela Punyaratabandhu's cookbook of accessible and authentic Thai recipes, Simple Thai Food, is coming out tomorrow! To help celebrate this new cookbook, her publisher asked if I might like to take a sneak peak at it, and feature one of its recipes here.
Of course I said yes without a moment's hesitation!
One of the things that I appreciate most about Leela's blog, She Simmers, is her attention to detail. So many Thai recipes are seemingly very simple to make, but when you try your hand at them, they just don't turn out. In her new cookbook, as with her blog, Leela provides useful insights and tips to help these recipes turn out the way they're meant to.
The Thai pork toast known as khanom pang na moo is one such recipe. It should be as easy as spreading some seasoned ground pork on top of a slice of bread and frying it to make a satisfying appetizer or snack. However, if it's not done correctly, you wind up with either burnt toast, raw pork, or perhaps worst of all, an extremely oily piece of bread.
Leela's recipe, featured below, walks you through these common pitfalls and provides advice for how to avoid them. Using her recipe, my pork toast turned out pretty great the first time, and allowed the boyfriend to enjoy a savory snack that he hasn't had in many, many years.
This pork toast is just one of the many classic Thai recipes Leela has compiled in her cookbook. In addition to fantastic recipes and helpful tips, the cookbook includes a primer on essential Thai ingredients and tools as well as a section for basic recipes and preparations such as the ajad cucumber relish that accompanies pork toast.
Just as she has done with her blog, Leela has composed a fantastic resource for those who want to recreate delicious and authentic Thai dishes at home. Simple Thai Food comes out tomorrow, May 13th. Be sure to buy your copy today!
Recipe
Thai Pork Toast | Khanom Pang Na Moo | ขนมปังหน้าหมู
Ingredients
- 10 slices white sandwich bread each about 4 by 3 by ½ inch
- 8 ounces ground pork
- 1 tablespoon thin soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cilantro root or 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro stems
- 40 fresh cilantro leaves
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying
- 2 eggs
- Cucumber relish or ½ cup Thai Sriracha sauce for serving
Instructions
- Trim the crusts off the bread. Cut the bread slices in half horizontally and then vertically to create quarters. Leave the bread out to dry for at least 2 to 3 hours, flipping the pieces over once, or for up to overnight.
- To make the pork topping, in a food processor, combine the pork, soy sauce, cornstarch, pepper, garlic, and cilantro root and process until a smooth paste forms.
- Spread the pork paste evenly across the top surface of each square of bread. (The thickness of the pork paste should never exceed half the thickness of the bread. This ensures that the pork will be cooked through before the bread gets too brown.) Place 1 cilantro leaf on top of each piece and press down lightly to secure it in place.
- To fry the pork toast, pour the oil to a depth of at least 2 inches into a wok or a small, deep skillet and heat to 325°F to 350°F. To test if the oil is ready without a thermometer, stick an unvarnished wooden chopstick into the oil; when the oil is hot enough, a steady stream of tiny bubbles will rise from the tip of the chopstick. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and place it next to the stove. Break the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl and beat lightly until blended, then place the bowl next to the stove.
- One at a time, dip a square of bread, pork side down, into the eggs (the side without the pork should not be coated with the eggs) and quickly drop it, pork side down, into the hot oil. Fry the pork toast in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan. Once the pork side is golden brown, after about 1 to 2 minutes, flip the bread pieces over and fry until the other side is golden brown, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork toast to the towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pork toast.
- Do not serve the pork toast right out of the oil, as the topping will be too hot to eat. Let cool to slightly warmer than room temperature, then arrange on platters and serve with the cucumber relish.
Aphinya M.
Yayy!! Finally.. I have been waiting for you to make these!! Every time I have tried to make them in the past it has ended up being way too oily =( Now I will try them again and hopefully it comes out just like back home..
Padaek
Love everything deep-fried and these pork toasts look scrumptious! You've presented them beautifully! 😀