I love food, all kinds of food and if I like something I want to eat it often. The problem is some of the dishes are from a restaurant and that can get expensive. So, if I find something I really like but don't want to purchase it all the time, I find away to make it. It has to taste like the original, never sacrifice on taste, if not what is the point. Anyway, since this recipe does not appear anywhere on the AR site and I guess the selection fairy is not going to smile upon my recipe I decided to post it here. This dish can be used as a side or main dish and it is light and refreshing when it turns hot. The recipe makes a ton so feel free to cut it in half. Before I get any posts about "Sod" meaning blanched or boiled and the recipe does not have you boil the pork, I already know that but the lady from Thailand that I got the recipe from cooked it this way and it taste great. So please no "this recipe is not authenic, etc. Just try it and I think you will say, "Now Thats Good."
Nam Sod (Thai Pork Salad)
(Recipe can be halved)
2 cups FRESH lime juice. (5-6 limes make a cup)
6 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons dried chili flakes
12-13 fresh red or green Thai peppers (seeds removed, finely chopped)
6-8 shallots sliced very thin
1 small to medium onion halved and sliced very thin
6-8 green onions coarse slices
1 red onion sliced very thin
1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts (can use lightly salted)
1 cup fresh ginger chopped fine (make sure pieces are very small or ginger will be over powering in some bites)
2 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
4 cups fresh mint leaves chopped
2-3 lbs fresh ground lean pork
1 package of Romaine lettuce hearts
Optional: Bean thread noodles (you can serve the mixture over bean thread instead of lettuce leaves or they can be added. You can also substitute bean thread for the pork if you want a vegetarian version. Can be served over raw chopped cabbage leaves in bowl like a salad. If you like it less spicy cut the Thai pepper and crushed red pepper amounts in half. If you like it hotter only seed half the Thai peppers and just mix the seeds into the dressing along with the peppers or increase the amount of red pepper flakes.
Dressing: A lot of prep but worth it in the end.
Combined limejuice, fish sauce, dried and fresh chilies. Mix well; add shallots, green onions, onion, red onion, peanuts, ginger, mint and cilantro. Mix well and set aside while you prepare the pork.
Pork:
Heat a nonstick skillet on medium high heat. Add pork and break it up as it cooks. Continue to cook and break up until all the pork is cooked (no pinkness), then drain any liquid from pan. Take care not to over cook it will make the pork tough. Allow pork to cool for a few minutes and make sure it is broken up into small pieces (similar to ground taco meat).
Add the pork to the dressing mixture and mix very well. You can garnish the mixture with chilies, peanuts, mint leaves and cilantro leaves held back or left over from making the dressing.
To Serve: Spoon mixture into lettuce leaves (like a hotdog in a bun) or serve on noodles or chopped lettuce and cabbage together and spoon mixture over it in a bowl.
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