It’s 2 for 1 today! After a spell in Tamil Nadu and curried out, I felt the need for a hot/sweet/sour combo and some pork (sorry folks – occasionally I do eat pork which, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, is OK – it does not qualify as red meat).

In order to make this, first I had to make the Nam Prik Pow, the central ingredient for Tom Yum soup. Despite a seeming load of ingredients, with some careful chopping and prep it was really a quick dish to put together and very piquant.

Serves 2

Nam Prik Pow

2 tbsp veg oil
2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp finely chopped shallots
2 large dried chillis, chopped
1 tbs dried shrimp
1/2 tsp salt
1/s tbsp sugar

First, pound the dried shrimps in a pestle and mortar (or a small processor if you are lazy!). Then in a wok or frying pan, heat the oil and fry garlic until golden. Remove with slotted spoon and add to bashed shrimp; do the same for each shallots and chillies. Blend them all together in the mortar until you have a nice  paste, and add it back to the oil and stir over a low heat, with the salt and sugar until you have and thick oily sauce, not a paste. You will use about half of this; save the rest in a jar for your soup or any other Thai recipes.

The Nam Prik Pow is on the right in the red bowl

The Salad

8 oz boneless pork, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 tbsp chicken stock
1 tbs Nam Prik Pow
1 stalk lemon grass, white part thinly sliced
4 small round or two small long Thai aubergines, you can use 1 big Dutch if you must, diced
2 shallots, finely sliced
3 lime leaves, rolled into cigars and thinly sliced
1 small chilli, red or green with seeds, thinly sliced
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp palm sugar
extra lime leaves to garnish

Marinade

2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce

Put all the marinade ingredients into a large bowl and mix. Add the pork and marinate for at least one hour.

Heat a griddle and when hot, griddle the pork, turning frequently, until its nicely BBQ’d.

Heat the stock in a wok or saucepan, and chuck in the rest of the ingredients. When the aubergine is half cooked, add the BBQ pork and any marinade or pan juices and let it finish cooking. Serve with rice and either a salad or some green veg like pak choi.

See how easy it is!