Looking for a healthy, quick, and flavorful dish? Look no further! This Moo Nam Tok Thai Grilled Pork Salad recipe is the perfect choice!
For more delicious Thai salads, try these Pla Goong spicy salad, waterfall beef steak salad (Neua Nam Tok), Thai grilled pork neck, Thai beef salad, Moo Manao, and Thai seafood salad.
Jump to:
- What is Moo Nam Tok Thai Grilled Pork Salad
- Why you'll love Thai grilled pork salad
- Ingredients for Nam Tok Moo Recipe
- What’s the best pork to use
- How to make Moo Nam Tok Thai Grilled Pork Salad
- How to Serve
- Tips for the Moo Nam Took
- Variations & Substitutes
- Storage
- Other Thai Dishes to Try Now
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Moo Nam Tok Thai Grilled Pork Salad
- Related Thai Recipes You'll Love
What is Moo Nam Tok Thai Grilled Pork Salad
Moo Nam Tok is a classic Thai salad with spicy, tangy, and refreshing flavors. This dish features tender grilled pork marinated in a delicious oyster sauce, fish sauce, and lime juice blend.
It's Grilled to perfection, then tossed with a vibrant salad mixture.
Why you'll love Thai grilled pork salad
You'll love Thai grilled pork salad because it's healthy and versatile. It's perfect as a starter or main course! Plus, it's super easy and fast to make.
Prepare to savor the flavors of delicious lime, garlic, chilies, and fish sauce in every bite.
Ingredients for Nam Tok Moo Recipe
Moo Namtok Marinade
- Pork shoulder. Use a fattier cut of meat for a juicer and tastier salad. Cut your pork into large pieces to ensure tender meat.
- Oyster sauce. Adds depth of flavor to the marinade.
- Fish sauce. Provides savory notes.
- Lime juice. Adds acidity and brightness.
Moo Namtok Salad
- Shallot. Red onions are fine as a substitute.
- Fish sauce. Enhances the savory taste. Read more about Thai sauces here.
- Lime juice. It adds a sour and tangy flavor.
- White pepper. It adds a subtle heat. Black pepper will be fine as a substitute. Read more about different types of Thai spices here.
- Sugar. Use palm sugar, white sugar, or brown sugar.
- Balances out the flavors.
- Culantro Adds freshness and aroma. These can be found at Asian grocery stores. Learn more about fresh herbs in Thai cuisine here.
- Fresh mint leaves. Adds a sharp and herbaceous freshness to the mix!
- Green onions (spring onions). Add a mild onion flavor.
- Toasted rice powder or Khao Khua. Adds crunch and texture. Use sticky rice or glutinous rice if possible. If not, use jasmine rice.
- Chilli flakes. Adds heat and spice.
What’s the best pork to use
Pork cuts are important since pork is the main ingredient for this Nam Tok recipe. Opt for fattier cuts like pork jowl, pork shoulder, or pork sirloin for juicier results.
Avoid lean cuts like pork chops or loins, as they can get too dry.
How to make Moo Nam Tok Thai Grilled Pork Salad
1. Make the toasted rice by roasting the rice in a pan until golden brown on medium heat. Do not be tempted to roast your rice on high heat. The rice will quickly burn and turn bitter.
Once the rice cools off, grind it to a coarse powder.
2. Make the pork marinade. Add oyster sauce, half of the fish sauce, half of lime juice, and white pepper in a large mixing bowl.
3. Marinate the pork. Add the pork steak to the sauce and marinate for 2 hours.
4. Grill the meat. Remove the meat from the fridge and let it sit at room temp for about 30 minutes. Then, grill the pork over medium heat until it is cooked through.
Mine took about 12 minutes on a gas grill.
Let the pork rest for about 10 minutes before slicing to allow the heat to distribute evenly and render more meat juices for the salad.
5. Add the sliced herbs, chili flakes, and the other half of the fish sauce and lime juice in a large mixing bowl.
6. Slice the grilled pork into thin slices against the grain. The pork slices should be tender and juicy, have a taste, and enjoy the meat as it too!
Then, mix it with the salad mixture and adjust the flavors as needed.
7. Add the toasted rice and serve with sticky rice or papaya salad.
How to Serve
Enjoy Moo Nam Tok Thai Grilled Pork Salad with sticky rice, purple sticky rice Lao or Thai papaya salad, green beans salad, or spicy cucumber salad.
Add a handful of crunchy fresh vegetables to serve with your moo yang nam tok. Cabbage, cucumber slices, baby romaine lettuce, or napa cabbage are great choices!
Tips for the Moo Nam Took
- If your pork pieces are larger, the grilling time will take longer. A large food plastic bag like a Ziplock bag is also perfect for marinating the pork.
- Adjust the number of chili flakes according to your spice preference.
- Let the pork marinate for at least 2 hours for optimal flavor.
- Grill the pork until the internal temperature reaches 175°F for juiciness.
- A helpful kitchen tool is a spice grinder grinding the rice. You can use a coffee grinder, but clean it well before and after using it on sticky rice powder.
Variations & Substitutes
- Substitute beef for pork.
- Add lemon grass, fresh chilis, kaffir lime leaves for added flavors.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day only. The salad gets soggy after the first day.
Other Thai Dishes to Try Now
- Nam Jim Jaeow is a spicy sauce perfect for everything.
- beef waterfall salad
- Gaeng Jeud noodle soup
- Larb Gai (Thai Chicken Salad)
- Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum)
Frequently Asked Questions
Nam Tok means waterfalls in Thai.
Nam Tok, or waterfall, refers to the dripping juice or the sliced pork after it’s been grilled.
Yes, you can! Cook the meat in a grill pan on medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.
You can use beef instead of pork. Tender cuts of meat like beef like beef tenderloin, rib eye, London broil, or any of your favorite grilling meat instead of pork.
Yes! Namtok is very popular with food stalls throughout Thailand. They are typically cooked over a hot charcoal grill and served with sticky rice.
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Moo Nam Tok Thai Grilled Pork Salad
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 servings 1x
- Diet: Low Lactose
Description
Looking for a healthy, quick, and flavorful dish? Look no further! This Moo Nam Tok Thai Grilled Pork Salad recipe is the perfect choice!
Ingredients
The Pork Marinade
- 1.5-pound pork shoulder, leave in large pieces around 3 inches thick and 6 inches long. The larger pieces will hold more juice and make for a tender Nam Tok meat
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
For the Salad
- ⅓ cup long and thinly sliced shallot
- 1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ -1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar. Not pictured
- ¼ cup culantro or cilantro or both
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 stalk green onion, chopped small
- 2-3 tablespoons toasted sticky rice, more or less as desired
- 1 tablespoon chili flakes, more or less as desired
Instructions
1. Make the toasted rice by roasting the rice in a pan until golden brown on medium heat. Do not be tempted to roast your rice on high heat. The rice will quickly burn and turn bitter. Once the rice cools off, grind it to a coarse powder.
2. Make the pork marinade. Add oyster sauce, half fish sauce, half lime juice, and white pepper in a large mixing bowl.
3. Marinate the pork. Add the pork steak to the sauce and marinate for 2 hours.
4. Grill the meat. Remove the meat from the fridge and let it sit at room temp for about 30 minutes. Then, grill the pork over medium heat until it is cooked through. Mine took about 12 minutes on a gas grill. Let the pork rest for about 10 minutes before slicing to allow the heat to distribute evenly and render more meat juices for the salad.
5. Add the sliced herbs, chili flakes, and the other half of the fish sauce and lime juice in a large mixing bowl.
6. Slice the grilled pork into thin slices against the grain. The pork slices should be tender and juicy, have a taste, and enjoy the meat as it too! Then, mix it with the salad mixture and adjust the flavors as needed.
7. Add the toasted rice and serve with sticky rice or papaya salad.
Notes
- If your pork pieces are larger, the grilling time will take longer. A large food plastic bag like a Ziplock bag is also perfect for marinating the pork.
- Adjust the number of chili flakes according to your spice preference.
- Let the pork marinate for at least 2 hours for optimal flavor.
- Grill the pork until the internal temperature reaches 175°F for juiciness.
- A helpful kitchen tool is a spice grinder grinding the rice. You can use a coffee grinder, but clean it well before and after using it on sticky rice powder.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Pork recipes
- Method: grilling
- Cuisine: Thai
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Suwanee says
I love that! So glad you enjoyed it, Allyssa. Yes, add more of herbs as you'd like- I do the same. Thank you for your kind words the five star!
Alyssa Breedlove says
I made this for myself and my family and everybody loved it! It has such a fresh taste. I love cilantro, so I added extra. This recipe is delicious!