Moo Ping

Ingredients

Pork

• 800 gpork shoulder
• or pork belly, in thin strips
• some fat left on

The marinade

• 6garlic cloves
• 4coriander roots
• or the stems of a bunch
• 1 teaspoonwhite peppercorns
• 3 tablespoonslight soy sauce
• 2 tablespoonsoyster sauce
• 1 tablespoondark soy sauce
• 3 tablespoonspalm sugar
• or brown sugar
• 1 tablespoonfish sauce
• 150 mlthick coconut milk

To baste

• 150 mlthick coconut milk
• 1 tablespooncondensed milk, optional
• a pinch of salt

To serve

• sticky rice
• in a bag
• nam jim jaew, optional
• at dawn

Directions

1. Use them generously in place of roots. It keeps the pork moist as it grills. Cut the pork into thin flat strips. Cut across the grain of the meat. Aim for about half a centimetre thick. Make them about ten centimetres long. Thin strips cook through in minutes.
2. Cut them thinner than feels right. Put all of the garlic into a mortar. Add the coriander roots and peppercorns. Pound them into a rough paste. Take a good few minutes over it. Adding the rest is straightforward enough. Add both soy sauces to the paste. Add the oyster sauce and fish sauce. Add all of the palm sugar to it. Add the coconut milk and stir it.
3. Chop it or grate it to dissolve it. Brown sugar is the nearest substitute. Put the pork strips into the marinade. Work it in well with your hands. Work it for a good few minutes. Cover it over and refrigerate it. Give it at least four full hours. Put bamboo skewers in cold water. Let them soak for thirty minutes. Dry bamboo catches fire over charcoal.
4. Take one strip of marinated pork. Fold it back and forth like a ribbon. It should end up flat and wide. Spread the folds along the skewer. Mix coconut milk with a pinch of salt. Add condensed milk if you want it sweeter.
5. Wait until it is covered in grey ash. Never grill over flames at any point. Keep the skewers a good distance above the coals. Grilling them takes about ten minutes.
6. Lay all the skewers on the grill. Give them about two full minutes. Turn them all over with tongs. Brush them with the coconut basting liquid. Turn and baste them every two minutes. Keep doing that right as they cook. Four or five turns is about right.
7. Take them off while still juicy. Check one of them by cutting into it. Pork should be cooked through. Serve sticky rice alongside in a bag. Pull the pork off with your teeth. That is exactly how it is done. Serve nam jim jaew alongside if you like. They must be eaten hot from the grill. Grill them again briefly to reheat.

Technique

• The strips are folded back and forth like a ribbon with the skewer passing through each fold, ending up flat and wide rather than bunched — that shape is characteristic and cooks evenly. Cut them thin, about half a centimetre, since thin strips cook through in minutes and take the marinade quickly.
• The marinade is full of sugar, which blackens fast, so grill over a moderate heat with the skewers a good distance above grey-ashed coals and watch them constantly. Turn and baste with coconut milk every two minutes, four or five times: each coat caramelises before the next, and that layering is what builds the sticky glaze.
• Garlic, coriander root and white pepper pounded together is a Thai foundation that appears constantly; the lower coriander stems are the nearest substitute where roots cannot be bought, used generously.

Substitutions

• Brown sugar stands in for palm sugar, which is softer, less sweet and has a caramel note.
• Pork belly in place of shoulder gives a fattier richer skewer.

Variations

• Some stalls add condensed milk to the basting liquid for a sweeter glaze; it is optional rather than standard.
• Nam jim jaew, the tart chilli and toasted rice dip, is served alongside, though many people eat them plain.
• They are bought at dawn with a bag of sticky rice, which holds together in the hand and needs no cutlery.

History

Skewered, marinated grilled pork, the marinade built from coconut milk, palm sugar, garlic and coriander root, documented across Thailand as one of the country’s most popular and widely available street foods, commonly sold from small charcoal grills set up along streets and outside markets throughout the country. Its slightly sweet marinade, achieved through palm sugar and coconut milk, reflects a broader Thai culinary preference for balancing savory grilled meat with a touch of sweetness, and moo ping is traditionally sold in small, affordable skewers making it an accessible everyday snack. Moo ping remains one of the most commonly eaten street foods across Thailand, popular at any time of day.

Frequently asked questions

What is Moo Ping?

Moo Ping is a street food from Thailand: sweet-garlicky grilled pork skewers, breakfast with sticky rice. Skewered, marinated grilled pork, the marinade built from coconut milk, palm sugar, garlic and coriander root, documented across Thailand as one of the country’s most popular and widely available street foods, commonly sold from small charcoal grills set up along streets and outside markets throughout the country. Its slightly sweet marinade, achieved through palm sugar and coconut milk, reflects a broader Thai culinary preference for balancing savory grilled meat with a touch of sweetness, and moo ping is traditionally sold in small, affordable skewers making it an accessible everyday snack. Moo ping remains one of the most commonly eaten street foods across Thailand, popular at any time of day.

How long does Moo Ping take to make?

Moo Ping takes 30 minutes plus marinating of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 16 skewers. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Moo Ping?

Yes, within limits. Brown sugar stands in for palm sugar, which is softer, less sweet and has a caramel note. Pork belly in place of shoulder gives a fattier richer skewer.

What is the most important thing to get right in Moo Ping?

Wait until it is covered in grey ash. Never grill over flames at any point. Keep the skewers a good distance above the coals. Grilling them takes about ten minutes.