moo krob / crispy pork: gift from the gods

ever since i was going to chinese restaurants as a child i have loved crispy pork. stir fried, in rich brown stews with seared garlic, vegetables and soft tofu, or simply with a side of rice and some chili sauce. here in thailand it is known as moo krob หมูกรอบ . moo = pork and krob = crispy. it is such a simple food. air-dried pork belly (what the thais call moo sam chan, three layered pork) which is then deep-fried until golden brown and super crispy. in chinese: siew yoke. the recipe is a bit different though. which ever style yo use, i am sure you will fall in love with it if you haven't already.

when i was in new york city working as a private chef i was asked to make a lot of asian food. i knew that moo krob would be a crowd pleaser, and i wanted to stir-fry it with khana or as the chinese say gailan. this is a dish known as phak khana mu krop ผักคะน้าหมูกรอบ. rather than buy it from a vendor i decided to make my own. i found a great little chinese butcher in china town near the corner of bayard and mulberry streets @ 69 mulberry street.

map to the chinese butcher shop @ 69 mulberry street

this is also where i purchased super fresh, over-sized fresh hams to make shang hai ham from. very friendly guy. he was so happy to see a gwai lo who was into trying to cook authentic chinese food. he was always helpful and always gave me a deal. he would also cut my meat for me personally rather than have someone else in the store do it. chinatown, and that kind of person, is one of the things i miss about nyc, and not a whole lot else.

but, i digress as always.

most recipes for crispy pork entail using a rub or marinade (see recipe links above). i have never done that. i simply scrub the meat under cold running water, air dry it with a fan or in front of an air conditioner if it is a very hot day, and then either deep fry the entire piece, or cut it into strip and fry them separately. cutting it into strips means that the pieces get crispy on 4 sides instead of two. the end result is this:

click here to see close-up pix of this beautiful piece of culinary wonder.

allow a few seconds for the animation to load.

how could anyone resist such temptation? makes a great additive to fried rice, and also goes great on a picnic. cut into bite sized pieces and served with the chili sauce it would be great for a cocktail party snack.

its chinese food promotion month at siam paragon, how fekkin' great is that?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

last month was italian food and everyone went absolutely bat shit eating cheese, cured hams and every other italian delicacy, now it is chinese food month. leave it up to the siam paragon folks to hit balls out of the park one right after another.

i was on my way to doing some of that great sunday banking they have at paragon mall when i spied the peking duck stand. i have always been a big fan of duck, prepared any way at all, and to have it peking style is always a treat.

when i was the food and beverage manager at siam city hotels in pattaya a few years back each of the two sister hotels on beach road had fantastic chinese kitchens that served peking duck. whenever i was on duty, and i saw an order come in, i would run and stand in the kitchen and wait for it to be served so i could scarf the carcass and all the great tidbits that cling to it. i also got a rush when the gas was fired up in the duck ovens that put that great glaze and crispness to the skin. the amount of pressure and the loud whooshing sound makes it seem like you are at an airport right on the tarmac when a jet is revving its engines.

did you know that the skin is always cut int he exact same pattern, the exact same number of pieces and its done with a big ass clever, not a small little knife as one might think? some chefs are so adept at carving ducks that they can perform the entire procedure wearing white cloth gloves that remain spotless form beginning to end.

i was in such a hurry to eat my serving that, again, i forgot to take a picture, but then i bought 4 more portions for take away to give to my friends that i would be meeting shortly thereafter. so here are some shots of the booth, the assorted foods, and some peking duck fast food style. price: 150 baht or $4.47 usd per serving. right, under 5 dollars and there are 10 pancakes with all the trimmings.

portions on display.

chinese style kao-kaa-moo, braised anise scented pork leg.
these were some of the largest i have ever seen.
and they looked just great.
but alas,
no room for moo today we will be stuffing our face with duck.

simmering soup, is that cooker big enough for ya?

fried bean curd items.

i had an assortment plate and it was great.
not greasy at all, and meatless, too.

steamed pork buns and duck roll ups in rice pancakes.

this lady was great.
she loved that i loved her duck so much
that i came back and bought 4 more orders for my friends.

this is peking duck take away style.

and again, lid open.



ready to nosh.



what the inside looks like.

my friend khun ice enjoying a box of peking duck.
she was amazed that anyone would have thought to bring some for others to enjoy.
she ate an entire box by herself, and she had just eaten an entire meal of thai food.

i just love to watch girls eat with their hands, don't you?