Nam sod (Thai pork salad)

Nam sod may look similar to larb but it is actually totally different and often underrated. It’s unique in flavours, mouthfeel and even texture.

Nam sod (Thai pork salad). Credit: Hardie Grant Books / David Loftus

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp crushed garlic
• 2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) minced (ground) pork
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)
• 2–3 birdseye chillies, finely chopped (or to taste)
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves and stems
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped mint
• lettuce leaves, cucumber slices or sticky rice to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add the pork and stir, breaking it up with your spoon, until fully cooked through (about 5 to 7 minutes). Drain any excess fat.
2. While the pork is still hot, stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar (if using) and chillies. Mix well to ensure the flavours are evenly distributed. Add the onion, peanuts, coriander and mint. Toss gently to combine.
3. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve with lettuce leaves or cucumber slices for scooping, or with sticky rice on the side.

This is an edited extract from Thai: Anywhere and Everywhere by Nat Thaipun (Hardie Grant Books, $50). Photography: © David Loftus.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.