Moo Ping Pork Ramen
Moo ping is Thai grilled pork on a stick, the kind of thing that exists specifically to be eaten standing up on a sidewalk at seven in the morning, which is a sentence that tells you everything about Thai street food culture. The pork is marinated in coconut milk, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and white pepper, then threaded on bamboo skewers and grilled until the edges blacken a little, and the sugar in the marinade caramelizes into something that smells like a good reason to be awake. This bowl takes those same skewers and rests them across a bowl of clear lemongrass broth with ramen noodles underneath, which is not how they serve it in Bangkok but is honestly an excellent idea regardless.
Skewers char and smoke—coconut milk clings to pork—Bangkok at midnight
Let Me Tell You...
You learn something about Thai street food when you watch it happen at six in the morning.
The vendor has been at the grill for at least two hours already.
The moo ping is already cooked and resting on the rack above the coals, staying warm, the fat from the pork constantly dripping down and sending up these small smoke signals that smell like the best alarm clock you've never had.
You just pick them up and walk.
This is the context the dish was built for, and it's worth carrying that context into the kitchen even when you're making it at seven in the evening at home.
Dry skewers will char and potentially snap mid-cook.
The marinade does most of the work.
Coconut milk is the base, and it does two things: it tenderizes the pork and it provides the sugars that allow the exterior to caramelize under heat.
The oyster sauce and fish sauce handle the salt and umami.
White pepper is what makes it specifically Thai in flavor, that slightly floral, slightly hot quality that's different from black pepper in a way that's hard to explain but immediately recognizable.
Don't substitute black pepper here.
It's not the same dish.
The coconut milk needs time to work through the thin slices.
The lemongrass broth takes about fifteen minutes and it's the part that ties the bowl together as a bowl.
Without it, you'd just have grilled pork and noodles, which is fine but is missing something.
The broth turns this into a complete thing, with steam and warmth and that particular lemongrass perfume that hits you before the first bite.
The pork skewers rest across the bowl rather than being submerged, which keeps the exterior char crispy while the noodles and broth do their thing underneath.
This releases the oils into the broth more efficiently.
The first skewer you eat off the bowl will have a little broth on it from where it was resting.
That's the best bite.
Plan for it.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried ramen noodles (2 bricks, seasoning packets discarded)
- 1.25 lbs pork shoulder or pork butt, sliced thin (about 1/4 inch)
- 1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (plus more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons palm sugar or light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut into 3-inch pieces
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 3 thin slices fresh galangal or ginger
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (for broth)
- 1 teaspoon palm sugar or light brown sugar (for broth)
- Bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
Preparation
- Combine coconut milk, oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, palm sugar, white pepper, and minced garlic in a medium bowl. Add pork slices and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Make the lemongrass broth: Combine chicken broth, water, bruised lemongrass, galangal, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, and 1 teaspoon palm sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust fish sauce. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and discard solids. Keep warm.
- Thread marinated pork onto soaked bamboo skewers, about 3-4 slices per skewer, weaving each slice on so it stays flat.
- Grill over medium-high heat (or under a broiler on high, 4 inches from heat) for 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through and caramelized with char marks. Let rest 2 minutes.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook ramen noodles for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Drain and divide between serving bowls.
- Ladle warm lemongrass broth over noodles. Rest 2-3 pork skewers across the rim of each bowl so the pork sits above the broth. Add optional toppings and serve immediately.