🥬🐷 Spicy Minced Pork Lettuce Wraps (Nam Tok Moo) Super Detailed Recipe + Editor's Hot Tips

Nam Tok Moo (Spicy Minced Pork in Lettuce) is a popular Thai side dish. Crisp lettuce wraps the spicy, tangy, and richly spiced minced pork, creating a refreshing and flavorful dish perfect for summer or dinner parties. This dish is quick to prepare, low in sugar, and healthy, with easy-to-find Hong Kong ingredients. Highly recommended for families, parties, and snacks! 🌿🌶️

Essential ingredients (serves 3-4)

• 400-500g minced pork

• Lettuce leaves (Roma, pearl, or regular lettuce) as needed

• 3-4 lemon leaves (shredded)

• 1 lemongrass (finely chopped)

• 2-4 chili peppers (cut into rings, adjust the spiciness)

• 1 small piece of galangal (cut into small pieces or shredded)

• 4-5 shallots (finely diced)

• 2-3 teaspoons fish sauce

• 1-2 limes (juiced)

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon pepper (for marinating meat)

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (for marinating meat)

• 3 cloves of garlic (chopped, for flavor)

• 1.5 tablespoons oil

• Mint leaves, coriander, and basil (garnish)

Detailed cooking process

1️⃣ Marinate the minced pork with a little fish sauce, pepper and cornstarch for 10 minutes.
2️⃣ Chop shallots, lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and chili peppers finely and set aside (pat them for easier aroma).
3️⃣ Heat oil in a wok and sauté shallots, galangal, lemongrass and minced garlic until fragrant.
4️⃣ Stir-fry the pork until each piece is distinct and fully cooked, then add lemon leaves and chili peppers and stir-fry quickly.
5️⃣ Turn to low heat, add fish sauce and sugar and mix well. Squeeze lime juice before turning off the heat to adjust the sour, sweet and spicy taste.
6️⃣ If you like it more fragrant, you can add fried peanuts or fried shallots at the same time.
7️⃣ Garnish with mint leaves, coriander, and basil, then mix with lettuce and serve.
8️⃣ When eating, wrap the minced pork with lettuce leaves and eat them together. It is fresh, not greasy and fragrant.

Cooking Tips

• Thai spices such as lemon leaves, lemongrass and galangal can be replaced with tom yum gong bao, which is available in supermarkets.

• If you don't like spicy food, you can reduce the amount of chili peppers or choose bell peppers.

• If you want the meat to be smoother, add 1-2 spoons of water while frying the minced meat.

• The minced meat has the best texture when each piece is distinct. Do not remove it too early when stir-frying; stir-fry it for a while longer for a more prominent aroma.

• Add a little glutinous rice flour to fry the noodles (authentic Larb will fall off!) at any time to add an extra crispy layer.

A bite of this pork wrap with lettuce is refreshing, appetizing, and effortless. It's a must-have for Hong Kong editors at dinner parties, hot pot, and late-night snacks! Guaranteed to be a clean slate, a feast for the whole family! 🥬🐷🔆