Moo Nam Tok (Thai Pork Salad)
Moo Nam Tok (Thai Pork Salad) is made with tender, juicy pork tenderloin and exhilarating sweet, sour, and herby flavors.
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.