medium skill level recipe, sharing plate, sweet, braised, porkSeb HolmesFarang Londonpork, pork belly, palm sugar, sweet soy, soy, meat, salty, sweet, fish sauce, egg, pickles, noodles, lunch, thailand, Thai food, thai soup, sebby holmes, farang, farang london, payst london, coriander, oyster sauce, bay leaves, cassia bark, Thai cinnamon, vermicelli noodle, rice noodle, oil, vegetable oil, shank, pork shank, rice, jasmine riceComment

‘Muu parlow’, pork shank braised in sweet soy with eggs and noodles

medium skill level recipe, sharing plate, sweet, braised, porkSeb HolmesFarang Londonpork, pork belly, palm sugar, sweet soy, soy, meat, salty, sweet, fish sauce, egg, pickles, noodles, lunch, thailand, Thai food, thai soup, sebby holmes, farang, farang london, payst london, coriander, oyster sauce, bay leaves, cassia bark, Thai cinnamon, vermicelli noodle, rice noodle, oil, vegetable oil, shank, pork shank, rice, jasmine riceComment
‘Muu parlow’, pork shank braised in sweet soy with eggs and noodles

This sweet, rich, salty and aromatic dish is the perfect thing to warm you up during these cold winter days. It is a very popular street food snack in Thailand and as its all made in one pot, its ideal for home-cooking. The perfect dish to throw together in the morning and then be left to braise all day. The pork is first roasted to allow the skin to crisp slightly and to melt the fat. The fat is then used to fry out a paste with spices and aromats and let out with stock to make a braising liquor. The meat is then left to simmer and tenderise for hours to create a shiny, porky broth that is quite extraordinary and beautiful eaten with rice noodles.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 Pork shank, around 1.5kg, bone in

  • 1 litre chicken stock

  • 10 garlic cloves, peeled

  • 3 tablespoons ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper

  • 1 tablespoon table salt

  • 10g coriander, picked and washed

  • 2 fresh bay leaves (dried will do)

  • 2x 4cm pieces cassia bark (cinnamon will do)

  • 100ml oyster sauce

  • 100ml sweet soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons palm sugar (dark brown soft sugar will do)

  • 80ml fish sauce

  • 4 medium eggs

  • 100ml vegetable oil

  • 150g thin vermicelli rice noodles, blanched in boiling salt water for 1 minute and then refreshed under cold water

Instructions:

  1. Roast the Pork Shank: Preheat your oven to 180°C. Coat the pork shank in vegetable oil and place it in an oven-proof pan. Roast for about 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes, until the skin crisps and the fat renders into the pan.

  2. Prepare the Paste: Using a pestle and mortar, pound the garlic, ginger, and white pepper into a paste. Add coarse sea salt as an abrasive if needed.

  3. Fry the Paste: Remove the pan from the oven, set the shank aside, and place the pan over medium heat. Fry the paste in the pork fat until golden brown.

  4. Create the Braising Liquor: Add the chicken stock, fish sauce, palm sugar, sweet soy sauce, cassia bark, bay leaves, and oyster sauce to the pan. Submerge the pork shank in this liquid, adding more stock if necessary.

  5. Braise the Pork: Cover the pot and return it to the oven for about 3 hours, until the meat is tender and falls off the bone.

  6. Cook the Eggs: Soft boil the eggs in the sauce for five minutes, then remove and peel.

  7. Serve: Shred the pork off the bone and serve in bowls over the noodles, with half an egg in each bowl. Pour the hot broth over everything and garnish with coriander leaves. For an alternative, serve with steamed jasmine rice.

This dish is a true labour of love, perfect for those who appreciate the art of slow cooking. It's a soul-warming treat that brings a taste of Thailand to your home—ideal for sharing with friends or family on a chilly evening. Enjoy the journey!

Head chef & founder of Farang London restaurant. Cookbook author of ‘Cook Thai’ & ‘Thai in 7’. Chief curry paste basher and co-founder of Payst London.