Thai Red Pork and Rice or (Khao Moo Daeng)

Thai Red Pork and Rice/Khao Moo Daeng

      As I have mentioned a few times in my posts, I am quite obsessed with Asian cuisines. I don't know what it is. Whether it is the simplicity of some of the dishes, the salty, spicy, sweet but tart sauces, the fresh vegetables, or the fact that a lot of Asian dishes contain noodles. Which, let's be honest, is always a favorite of mine. Anyways, today I am adventuring into the art of Thai cuisine. This dish is my first experience in cooking Thai food. I have eaten Thai before and have found the dishes to be amazing. I decided to try this dish that is popular on the streets at food vendors in Thailand. A simple dish of a barbecue pork over rice, Thai Red Pork and Rice, or what is traditional called Khao Moo Daeng. I did some researching and googling to find the right combination to make this dish as accurate and traditional as I could. The next time I make this I may decrease the amount of tomato and experiment with more plum and honey to get a more sweater flavor. Overall it was different and I will try it again, as mentioned, with adjustments. Feel free to try it out and make your own adjustments. Comments and suggestions are very much welcomed when venturing into unknown cuisines. Enjoy this Khao Moo Daeng or Red Pork and Rice.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup crushed tomatoes
• 7 plums, (pits removed)
• 1/2 lb pork loin
• 4 tbs fish sauce
• 6 tbs honey
• 1-cup water
• 2 tbs soy
• 2 tbs vinegar
• 1 tbs molasses
• 1 cucumber

      First, place the tomatoes, plums, fish sauce, 4 tbs honey, and water in a blender and mixed until plums and tomatoes were incorporated.  Then place the pork loin in a baking dish and thoroughly coated it with the tomato/plum sauce. Place it in the fridge over night. Next day place the pork in an oven at 325F for about 50 minutes. Remove pork and sat aside. Take the marinade it was cooked in and place in a soup pot. Add the rest of the honey, the soy, vinegar, and molasses and bring to a boil and thicken. Meanwhile take the pork loin and grill it on a grill on all sides until crisp. Remove and let cool a bit. Slice into bite size slices and serve over some cooked jasmine rice. Drizzle some of the sauce over the pork and serve with some sliced cucumbers and diced green onion. In Thailand this dish can be found at street food vendors for a very good price. They typically also include other pork parts and hard-boiled eggs. Hope you enjoy.