Ba chi nuong rieng me gives you pork with charred edges, the perfume of galangal and the soft sourness of me, and it is excellent with la mo leaves. The difficulty is that the skin burns before the seasoning has reached the inside.
That is why the me is pushed through a sieve until completely smooth, and the pork is worked over with crushed galangal, fresh turmeric juice and lemongrass, then chilled for at least 1 hour.
This batch weighs about 819g, at roughly 414 calories per 100g.
Method
Choose pork belly with even layers of lean and fat, a fresh pink color and a springy feel. Scrape the skin clean, rub it with lime and coarse salt, rinse it, pat it dry and cut it into bite sized pieces.
Peel the galangal, wash it, slice it and pound it fine. Pound the fresh turmeric and squeeze out the juice. Slice the lemongrass and pound it fine. Blend the me or push it through a sieve until smooth.
Put the pork in a container and season it with 1.5 tablespoons mam tom, 2 teaspoons fish sauce, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, 1 to 2 teaspoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1.5 to 2 tablespoons me. Add the galangal, turmeric juice and lemongrass, then put on gloves and work everything through the meat.
Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, and longer if there is time.
Mix the dipping bowl: 1 tablespoon mam tom, 2 teaspoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and the juice of half a lime, plus a few drops of white rice wine or hot fat, whipped until foamy, then add the chili.
Lay the pork on a grill rack or thread it onto bamboo skewers. Charcoal gives the best aroma, but an oven or air fryer will do.
Turn the pieces so all sides cook evenly, brushing on a little lard or oil now and then to keep them glossy and soft. They are done when they are evenly browned and smell good.
Eat them hot with la mo, hung cho and the whipped mam tom dipping bowl.
Tips
Over charcoal, let the coals glow without flaming and set the rack about 20cm above them so the pork cooks through slowly.
In an oven, work in two stages: low heat until the pork is 70 to 80 percent done, then brush on more marinade and finish it for even color.
One and a half tablespoons of mam tom is right, since more of it covers the galangal and lemongrass completely.
The me has to be sieved completely smooth, otherwise the pork stays gritty and unevenly sour.
An overnight rest in the fridge takes the galangal and me much deeper into the meat.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.