Garlic and Pepper Crusted Pork

Garlic and Pepper Crusted Pork is a recipe which my friend P-Mala made up. She’s been a professional cook for 20 years, and is one of the best in Thailand! She was patient enough to teach me how to make this recipe, step by step. In fact, she’s so generous, she has agreed to let me come by on a weekly basis to learn some of her special recipes. Keep a look out for more recipes by P-Mala!

Ingredients

1/2 kilogram (about 1lb) pork steaks, boneless loin cut
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped coriander roots, with about 2″ of the stem still on. (about 2-3 roots)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup garlic cloves, de-skinned
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 tablespoons white soy sauce
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 cup tempura or all-purpose flour

Directions

Smash the cilantro roots and salt in a stone mortar and pestle until a paste.
Add de-skinned garlic, and smash. Then add peppercorns and smash until paste.
Cut your meat into 4 equal slices, and put in a bowl. Add your paste, soy sauce and the sugar. Mix to cover the meat. You can also stab the meat a bit with a fork so the marinade seeps in better.
Coat with flour. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 10 hours.
After you’ve waited, fry on medium heat in about 1/2″ of oil. Cook until the meat is cooked through and dark brown, flipping once (about 2 minutes on each side). The meat will be pink and not white, since it’s marinated. Do not overcook or burn the garlic crust.
It’s best to wait until cooled before cutting, so you don’t lose any juice.

Note:

Serve with Prik Naam Bplaa: 1 tablespoon fish sauce with a chili sliced into rings. This dish can be a one-plate-dish with rice (sticky rice is a great match), or you can serve with a many-dish meal. You can either marinate the day before, or make it in the morning to eat at dinner.