Thai Kao Klug Kapi for the Seafood Allergic

By ltrodrigu

Make the pork belly the day before and let it marinate overnight. The garnishes and the rice can be prepared the morning of the day you’re planning to serve the dish. Finally, assemble the fried rice on a big serving platter or on individual deep plates, with plenty of room to arrange the garnishes and the pork over and around the mound of rice. Each diner helps him or herself to garnishes and rice, mixing them together on the plate. Thai ingredients can be found in Asian markets or online at templeofthai.com.

Ingredients

• For the Spicy Caramelized Pork Belly:
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon minced cilantro roots or stems
• 1/4 cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
• 1/2 cup palm sugar
• 1 pound pork belly, cut into bite-size cubes
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• For the Garnishes:
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
• 1 Granny Smith apple
• 1/2 lime
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1/2 cup slender raw green beans, blanched then sliced very thin
• 2 shallots, very thinly sliced
• 4 small fresh Thai birds-eye chilies, finely chopped (optional)
• Leaves from 1 bunch cilantro
• For the Finished Dish:
• 1/4 cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
• 4 cups cooked jasmine rice
• 1 lime, quartered

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Make Spicy Caramelized pork Belly:
Combine peppercorns and salt in a mortar. Crush with pestle, then crush in, one at a time, garlic, shallots and cilantro roots to form a paste. (Alternatively, use a food processor.)

Heat oil in a heavy duty pan over medium heat. Scrape every bit of peppercorn paste into oil and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Stir in palm sugar along with a tablespoon of water and increase heat to high. Cook, stirring constantly, to caramelize the palm sugar, about 3 minutes.

Add pork belly and cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes. Stir in dark soy sauce. Continue stirring to break up and melt palm sugar and combine it thoroughly with other seasonings.

Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is thick and pork is caramelized, 30 minutes. Fat part of pork should still be firm in texture. Remove pork and set aside to marinate in sauce at least a few hours or, ideally, overnight. After marinating, drain excess fat and discard, but leave pork in sauce.

Make Garnishes:
Beat eggs with a fork, just enough to combine whites and yolks. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat, tilting wok to coat it entirely with oil. Pour in eggs and tilt wok to coat with a thin layer of egg, as if making a crêpe. When eggs are thoroughly cooked, start at one end and gently roll omelet up, then set aside to cool. Once cool, slice crosswise into very thin strips. Set aside.

Partially peel apple, leaving stripes of skin, then cut into quarters, core and slice into very thin julienne strips, to make about 1 cup julienned apple. Squeeze juice from half lime over julienned apple to prevent browning. Partially peel cucumber, leaving stripes of skin, cut away seeds and julienne.

When Ready to serve:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place pork with sauce in a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil and warm in oven while you continue to prepare dish.

Add oil to wok and return to medium heat. Add cooked rice and stir-fry, tossing. Mix thoroughly, tossing and stirring, until rice is very hot.

To Serve;
Fried rice on a platter or in individual large serving bowls. Arrange caramelized pork over top, along with slivered omelet. Arrange julienned apple and cucumber, sliced green beans, shallots, chopped chilies and fresh cilantro in neat piles around outer rim of platter or each bowl. Serve immediately with lime wedges.