lemon grass pork

"chillies and lemon grass flavour this simple stir-fry, while peanuts add an interesting contrast in texture. look for jars of chopped lemon grass, which are handy when the fresh vegetable isn't available."

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb boneless pork loin
• 2 lemon grass stalks, finely chopped
• 4 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
• 1 tsp salt
• 12 black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
• 2 tbsp groundnut (peanut) oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 fresh red chillies, seeded and chopped
• 1 tsp soft light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. thai fish sauce
• 1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped
• ground black pepper
• cooked rice noodles, to serve
• coarsely torn coriander (cilantro) leaves, to garnish

Preparation:

• trim any excess fat from the pork
• cut the meat across into 1/4-inch thick slices, then cut each slice into 1/4-inch strips
• put the pork into a bowl with the lemon grass, spring onions, salt and crushed peppercorns; mix well.
• cover with clear film (plastic wrap) and leave to marinate in a cool place for 30 minutes
• preheat a wok, add the oil and swirl it around
• add the pork mixture and stir-fry over a medium heat for about 3 minutes, until browned all over.
• add the garlic and red chillies and stir-fry for a further 5-8 minutes over a medium heat, until the pork is cooked through and tender.
• add the sugar, fish sauce and chopped peanuts and toss to mix, then season to taste with black pepper.
• serve garnished with the coarsely torn coriander leaves.

Notes:

• the heat in chillies is not in the seeds but in the membranes surrounding them, which are removed along with the seeds.

  
  
  

Country:

thailand

Prepared: 2010-04-18

Makes: 4 servings

Categories: Pork
International

recipe source:
Thai
the essence of asian cooking
(cookbook)