Thai Pork & Coconut Lon
/Recipe By Louis Tikaram
Ingredients
small packet of cassava crackers
1 ltr oil to fry cassava crackers
500 g Coles minced pork
2 tbsp Coles coconut oil
2 cloves peeled garlic
1 knob peeled ginger
2 cups coconut cream
1 cup Coles real chicken stock
¼ cup soy bean paste
2 tbsp tamarind paste
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp palm sugar
1 pinch roasted red chili powder or chili flakes
½ stick lemongrass, finely sliced
1 long red chili, julienned
3 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
1 Lebanese cucumber cut into lengths
1 lime
¼ bunch of coriander, washed and roots cut off
Method
Pound ginger & garlic in a mortar & pestle to a fine paste. Heat the coconut oil in a medium saucepan and fry off the paste until golden brown, then add the pork mince, stirring regularly to prevent it clumping and sticking to the saucepan, cook for 2 or 3 minutes or until the pork is cooked.
Add the stock and coconut cream along with the soy bean paste and gently simmer for another minute.
Season with tamarind paste, fish sauce, palm sugar and chilli powder, the lon should taste salty, sour, slightly sweet and creamy from the coconut.
In a wok or pot, heat 1 litre of oil to 180 degrees (C) or use a bench top deep fryer if you have one to fry the cassava crackers 2 or 3 at a time for 30 seconds until puffed golden & crisp. Place the crackers on absorbent paper to cool.
Serve the lon in a small bowl and garnish with the finely sliced lemongrass, lime kaffir lime leaf and julienne chilli.
Place the cassava crackers beside the dish with some cucumber pieces, coriander sprigs & a lime wedge.
