Name: Khua Kling (Southern Thai Pork Stir-Fry)
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: ThaiAsia
Ingredients: 10 dried arbol chiles , stemmed, halved lengthwise, and seeds removed; 2 large shallots , chopped coarse; 2 lemongrass stalks , trimmed to bottom 6 inches, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin; 4 garlic cloves , chopped coarse; 1 (2-inch) piece fresh galangal , chopped coarse; 1 (2-inch) piece fresh turmeric , chopped coarse; 4 Thai red chiles , stemmed and chopped coarse; 4 makrut lime leaves , middle vein removed and sliced thin crosswise; 2 teaspoons kapi; ¾ teaspoon table salt; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 pound ground pork , broken into 1-inch chunks; 2 teaspoons fish sauce; 2 teaspoons brown sugar; 1 teaspoon pepper; 4 Thai red chiles , stemmed and sliced ¼ inch thick on bias (optional); 1 English cucumber , peeled if desired, sliced into ¼-inch rounds, and chilled; Steamed jasmine rice; 3 makrut lime leaves , middle vein removed and sliced thin crosswise

Khua Kling (Southern Thai Pork Stir-Fry)

By Andrea Geary

Published on December 5, 2022

Time

40 minutes

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Khua Kling (Southern Thai Pork Stir-Fry)

Ingredients

Curry Paste

10 dried arbol chiles, stemmed, halved lengthwise, and seeds removed2 large shallots, chopped coarse2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed to bottom 6 inches, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin4 garlic cloves, chopped coarse1 (2-inch) piece fresh galangal, chopped coarse1 (2-inch) piece fresh turmeric, chopped coarse4 Thai red chiles, stemmed and chopped coarse4 makrut lime leaves, middle vein removed and sliced thin crosswise2 teaspoons kapi ¾ teaspoon table salt

Pork

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 pound ground pork, broken into 1-inch chunks2 teaspoons fish sauce 2 teaspoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon pepper 4 Thai red chiles, stemmed and sliced ¼ inch thick on bias (optional)1 English cucumber, peeled if desired, sliced into ¼-inch rounds, and chilledSteamed jasmine rice 3 makrut lime leaves, middle vein removed and sliced thin crosswise

Before You Begin

You'll need an immersion blender (or a mortar and pestle) for this recipe. We developed this recipe for a 14-inch wok, but a 12-inch nonstick or carbon-steel skillet can be used instead. Lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, kapi (Thai shrimp paste), and lime leaves can be found at well-stocked supermarkets or an Asian market that carries Thai ingredients; they freeze well. You can substitute 1½ teaspoons of dried turmeric for the fresh turmeric. Prepare the other curry paste ingredients while the arbols hydrate. To avoid inhaling spicy fumes while stir-frying, use an exhaust fan or open a window. This dish is meant to be intensely spicy and should be eaten with rice in a ratio of 1 part pork to 2 parts rice. The sliced chiles enable diners to customize the spice level, but they can be omitted if desired. To make a half batch of khua kling, make a full recipe of curry paste and freeze half of it; cut all the other ingredients in half. Chilled cucumber slices make a complementary, cooling accompaniment.

Instructions

for the curry paste

Place arbols in small bowl and cover with 1 cup boiling water. Let sit for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid. Combine arbols, shallots, lemongrass, garlic, galangal, turmeric, Thai chiles, lime leaves, kapi, and salt in 2-cup liquid measure. Use immersion blender in mashing, up-and-down motion, to blend to coarse paste, about 2 minutes, stirring and scraping down sides halfway through blending. (Paste can be refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for up to 4 months.)

for the pork

Heat oil in wok over medium heat until shimmering. Add curry paste and cook, stirring constantly with wok spatula or wooden spoon, until paste just begins to stick, about 2 minutes. Add pork and mash and chop until meat and paste are mostly combined. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook, stirring and chopping constantly, until pork breaks into small pieces and is mostly cooked but some pink bits remain, about 3 minutes (if mixture starts to stick, deglaze with reserved arbol liquid, using 1 tablespoon at a time).

Add fish sauce, sugar, and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until pork is fully cooked and no moisture remains. Off heat, stir in sliced chiles, if using, and lime leaves. Transfer to serving bowl. Serve with rice and cucumber slices.