Low Carb Thai Pork Salad

Low Carb Thai Pork Salad

In this exciting low carb Thai recipe we take grilled pork and treat it more or less exactly as you might treat lettuce, slicing it thin and tossing it in a bowl with dressing and toppings. A meat salad: why not? This recipe is a hit at Los Angeles hotspot Night + Market, where it’s called Moo Sadong, or “Startled Pork,” suggesting that the pig itself is shocked at the intense flavors surrounding it. Spicy, tangy, funky, punchy, it’s a classic Thai explosion of tastes.

Use the fattiest pork chops you can find – or even better, boneless pork shoulder chops. Grilling adds the perfect smoky touch to the dish, but searing or broiling in a pan is a fine substitution.

This dish serves four as a side dish or appetizer but you can easily increase the portions to have it as a main course. I’ve removed the sugar from the original recipe, and streamlined the process. The original recipe is quite sweet, and you can add some sweetener to the dressing, but I don’t think it’s necessary.

(Recipe adapted from Night + Market, by Kris Yenbamroong)

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Low Carb Thai Pork Salad

Ingredients

  • 16oz fatty boneless pork chops
  • salt
  • 1 large shallot
  • 2” lemongrass stalk, sliced very thin
  • 1-2 small chilies, as spicy as you can handle
  • ½ bunch cilantro
  • ½ cup basil leaves (Thai basil if possible)
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons avocado or other neutral oil
  • 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
  • 1 teaspoon preferred sweetener (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cut the shallot in half and divide. Cut the stems off the cilantro and reserve.
  2. Combine half shallot and cilantro stems with garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, oil, dry chili and optional sweetener in a blender. Blend into a smooth dressing.
  3. Salt pork and grill or sear over very high heat to develop a flavorful char. Pork cooked to the recommended temperature of 145°F will still be slightly pink inside. Let pork rest.
  4. Meanwhile, slice remaining half shallot, chilies and lemongrass as thin as possible.
  5. Roughly chop cilantro leaves. Roughly tear basil leaves.
  6. Slice pork as thin as possible. Combine in a mixing bowl with all remaining ingredients: shallot, lemongrass, chilies, basil, cilantro, and dressing. Massage the dressing into the meat and serve on one large plate to share.

Yield: 4

Food energy: 380 kcal

Total fat: 32g

Carbohydrate: 4.7g

Protein per serving: 20g

Total dietary fiber: 1.6g

Ross Wollen
Ross Wollen

Ross Wollen is a chef and writer based in Maine's Midcoast region. Before moving East, Ross was a veteran of the Bay Area restaurant and artisanal food scenes; he has also worked as a food safety consultant. As executive chef of Belcampo Meat Co., Ross helped launch the bone broth craze. Since his diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes in 2017, he has focused on exploring the potential of naturally low-carb cooking. Follow Ross on Twitter: @RossWollen

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