Tender Pork, Sweet, and Sour
First things first, how’d Moo Nam Tok (Thai Pork Salad) recipe come to be? So glad you asked. I am fortunate to live close to an amazing Thai restaurant. I always order the pad thai, which is always delicious. But more recently I step outside of what was familiar to try a nam tok salad with pork. It was so refreshing and different, using pork on a salad is so good. Here is my attempt to replicate this at home, with my take on Moo Nam Tok, a Thai pork salad.
A few additional bits of fun information. Most of the internet tells me that in Thai ‘moo’ means ‘pork’ and ‘nam tok’ means ‘waterfall’. I have also seen this dish called nam tok mu. And it looks like the salad is traditionally more meat than lettuce, but the way it was served to me was thin strips of chilled pork in a lettuce salad rather than being heavy on the meat. Either way, this salad is inspired by the exhilarating sweet, sour, and herby flavors of nam tok.
What You Need to Make Moo Nam Tok (Thai Pork Salad)
- Pork Tenderloin – Pork can be tender, juicy, and even a bit pink. The tenderloin is a wonderful cut, easy to prepare and shave to thin slices for this salad.
- Lettuce – I’m using a tender green leafy head. Boston Bibb would also be amazing. Romaine will work too, as will other types of lettuce. I recommend a soft, tender leaf.
- Herbs – Fresh is key. Mint and cilantro. The aroma of these two with the vinegar, so mouthwatering.
- Salted Peanuts – Love these on my pad Thai and they are equally delish on this salad. Salty and crunchy. Buy and chop what you need, snack on the rest.
- Onions – Green onions provide a subtle oniony flavor to the dressing. Shaved red onions bring bite, contrasting color, and crispy crunch.
- Lime – Squeeze your own fresh juice and add an extra punch with lime zest. You can skip the zest if finding fresh limes puts you in a pinch and use pre-squeezed juice instead.
- Oils, Vinegar, Sugar – Veggie oil is great for searing the tenderloin. Sesame oil is rich and thick, is has an almost smoky, nutty flavor that’s so nice in the dressing. Apple cider vinegar and granulated sugar complement each other so well.
How To Make Moo Nam Tok (Thai Pork Salad)
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Pat the pork tenderloin dry. We want all the salty goodness and oil to stick to the meat. Generously salt and pepper the meat. It will feel like too much salt, but it’s the perfect amount to give the meat so much flavor.
Next, heat the vegetable oil in an oven safe skillet. Use medium heat and look for a shimmer in the oil. Once you get that little texture in the surface of the oil, add the tenderloin…. then do not move it for 2 minutes. This will feel like forever, but you need the meat to build that crust, or it will get stuck. Repeat on each side.
Then, add butter to the skillet and pop it in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, spooning butter over the tenderloin every 5 minutes. Once the internal temp is 145 degrees F, remove the tenderloin from the pan and place it on a plate or cutting board to rest and cool slightly.
If you can multitask, while the tenderloin is baking, make your dressing. Zest the lime with a fine cheese grater or with a zesting stick (one of my favorite gadgets). Next, squeeze the lime juice.
Thinly slice the green onions. Remove the mint leaves from the stems and rough chop. At this point your handy work should start to pay off with an amazing aroma. Set these aside.
Continue to mix the vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and sugar. Whisk this together well. Then, gently fold in the mint and green onions. Be sure to completely cover the mint with the dressing, it will soften up the leaves.
Tasty Toppers
Start crushing it! Using a chef’s knife (or a food processor) chop up the peanuts to a fine crumble. Set aside.
Peel and thinly slice the red onion. Almost paper thin or a shaved cut. Set aside.
Remove more mint leaves from the stems. Separate the cilantro leaves from tough, thick stems. Set both aside.
A Tender Tenderloin
Ok, so I promised a tender tenderloin and let’s see what we have. By now, the meat has been able to rest and cool a bit. I would not recommend completely refrigerating the meat, it will toughen up. But I also don’t think it should be fresh out of the pan piping hot when you place in on the delicate lettuce.
Another favorite kitchen tool of mine is my serrated bread knife. It’s long and great for bread, tomatoes, and cutting meat effortlessly. Cut the tenderloin on an angle, thin as you can and against the grain of the meat.
Put It All Together
Almost there! Rinse and tear the lettuce into bite sized pieces and plate. On each salad, place a fourth of the tenderloin meat. Next, top with shaved red onions, mint, and cilantro leaves.
Generously sprinkle chopped peanuts over each salad. Lastly, spoon the dressing over top.
Tips, Tricks, & FAQs
- Pink Pork? Yes, it is ok if your pork is a little pink… not raw, just pink. Check the internal temp to be sure it is at least 145 degrees F. The meat will gently, give and the juices will run clear. If you still aren’t sold on the pink pork, leave the tenderloin in the oven for an additional 10 minutes, with a target temp of 165 degrees F. The meat will be firmer.
- Toss It. As an alternative serving suggestion, you can put all the salad components in a large bowl and toss it with the dressing, then top it with the meat, and then sprinkle with the peanuts.
- Using Up Leftovers. So, a few comments on this one. The mint will turn dark in color in the dressing the second day and the longer it marinates in the vinegar. If this doesn’t bother you, mix it all up, if you think you’ll want or have leftovers and this isn’t appealing to you, keep the mint out until needed. Leftovers will keep well, but keep the salad separate from the pork. Gently warm the pork just slightly.
- Pork Tenderloin. Here’s another recipe for pork tenderloin. Save the leftovers from that to make a single serving or two of this salad! Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin follows the same basic steps, plus some yummy toppers for a tenderloin entree.
- How to Store Cilantro and Mint? I wrap my leftover herbs in a damp, wet paper towel, then place them in an airtight container or plastic bag. This will keep them good for 3-4 days. The same for the green onion.
Moo Nam Tok (Thai Pork Salad)
Equipment
- large oven safe skillet
- mixing bowl
- chef's knife
- cutting board
- juicer or fork
- cheese grater or zesting stick
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- serrated knife
Ingredients
Pork
- 22-24 oz pork tenderloin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 Tablespoons butter
Salad Dressing
- 1 Tablespoon lime zest
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup fresh mint
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion
Salad
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 heads Boston Bibb or other tender leaf lettuce
- 1/c cup shaved red onion
- 1/2 cup fresh mint
- 1/2 cup peanuts
Instructions
Pork
- Oven. Preheat the oven to 350 °F
- Prep. While the oven is heating, pat the pork tenderloin dry. Salt and pepper the pork tenderloin on all sides.
- Oil. Heat olive oil in an oven safe skillet or cast-iron skillet. Once the oil shimmers, carefully add the tenderloin. I use a splatter screen over the top of my pan. This stops the spitting oil but doesn't trap moisture like a lid which will ruin your sear.
- Sear. Sear each side for 2 minutes, do not move the tenderloin. Flip and repeat for 1 minute on the remaining raw sides. If there is fat strip on the tenderloin, it should be at the top when finished searing. You may have to hold the tenderloin in place on the long, narrower sides with tongs if it doesn't stand up on its own. The ends should not need to be seared.
- Butter. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add butter to the pan. Spoon the butter and oil mix over the tenderloin.
- Oven. Place the oven safe skillet on the middle rack in the oven.
- Bake and Baste. At 5-minute intervals, spoon the oil-butter mix over the tenderloin. Bake for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature at the thickest point is 145℉, the center will be slightly pink, but done. You'll be able to see the grain of the meat. Allow the tenderloin to cook for longer until the internal temp is between 150℉ to 160℉ to get a more well-done center.
- Rest. At the end of the cooking time, remove the tenderloin from the pan and on to a serving plate. Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing. You can also chill it before adding it to the salad.
Salad Dressing
- Lime. Using the fine grate option on a cheese grater or a zesting stick, zest the lime. Then, cut it in half. Using a juicer or by twisting a fork into the pulp, juice the lime. Add both to a small mixing bowl.
- Vinegar. To the small mixing bowl, add the vinegar, granulated sugar, salt, sesame oil and whisk to combine.
- Green Onion. Rinse and thinly slice the green onion. Add it to the dressing.
- Mint. Rinse and remove the mint leaves from the stems. Rough chop the leaves. Add them to the dressing. Do your best not to crush the leaves, a sharp knife is critical.
- Dressing. Mix the dressing well and set aside. This will let the mint soften.
Salad
- Lettuce. I use a spinning salad basket to wash and dry cut lettuce. If you don't have this, consider rinsing the halves before you cut them further. Dry them well. Cut each head in half. Then, cut off the bottom to remove the tough stem. You can serve the meat and dressing right over the whole half, which would be gorgeous. Or continue on by rough chopping or tearing up the halves into bit size pieces.
- Red Onion. Thinly shave red onions and set aside.
- Cilantro. Rinse the bunch of cilantro. Remove the leaves from the stems. Rough chop and set aside.
- More Mint. Remove more mint from leaves, rinse and leave whole. Set aside.
- Peanuts. One a cutting board, fine chop peanuts. Set aside.
Assembly
- Plate. Plate lettuce into bowls or plates.
- Slice. It's time to slice your well rested tenderloin. Using a serrated knife, thinly slice the tenderloin against the grain. Place slices of meat on each bed of lettuce.
- Topping. Top each salad with the shaved red onions, cilantro, mint, and dressing. Generously sprinkle the finely chopped peanuts on top.
- Enjoy! Serve immediately.
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