Khua kling
Dry-fried spicy minced pork
คั่วกลิ้ง (khua kling) — Southern Thai dry-fried minced pork or beef with curry paste
Ask for this at a rice-and-curry shop in Phuket or Hat Yai and it comes as a small, dark heap beside your rice, smelling of lime leaf and black pepper and hot enough to bring tears. There is no sauce at all: minced pork or beef is fried with a turmeric-heavy southern paste until every crumb is dry, separate and coated in spice. The heat is fierce, so it is always eaten with jasmine rice, sliced cucumber, raw long beans and herbs to cool the mouth. It also keeps well for a couple of days and is excellent cold in a lunchbox. Chef's tip: keep stirring and pressing the meat against the hot wok at the end; the name means 'roll and roast', and that last dry-frying is what makes it.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the paste
- 10 dried long red chilliesseeds removed, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
- 8 bird's eye chilliesuse fewer for milder
- 2 stalks lemongrassthinly sliced
- ½ oz galangalthinly sliced
- ⅞ oz fresh turmericpeeled and sliced, or 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 4 shallotsroughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlicpeeled
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp shrimp paste
- ½ tsp salt
For the stir-fry
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 ⅛ lb minced pork or beef
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp palm sugargrated
- 8 makrut lime leavescentre vein removed, very finely shredded
- 1 long red chilli (optional)thinly sliced
To serve
- 1 cucumber (optional)sliced
- 3 ½ oz long beans (optional)cut into 8 cm lengths
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain the 10 dried long red chillies. Pound 1 tsp black peppercorns and ½ tsp salt in a mortar, then add the soaked chillies, 8 bird's eye chillies, 2 stalks lemongrass, ½ oz galangal and ⅞ oz fresh turmeric and pound for 5 minutes. Add 4 shallots, 6 cloves garlic and 1 tsp shrimp paste and pound to a smooth, thick paste.
Step 2: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok over a medium heat and fry the paste, stirring, for 2 minutes until very fragrant. Open a window: the chilli fumes are strong.
2 minStep 3: Add 1 ⅛ lb minced pork or beef and turn the heat to medium-high. Stir-fry, pressing and chopping with the spatula, for 4–5 minutes until the meat is broken into fine crumbs and coated in paste.
5 minStep 4: Add 3 tbsp water, 1 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tsp palm sugar and keep stir-frying, scraping the base of the wok, for 6–8 minutes until all the liquid has gone, the crumbs are dry and separate and the meat reaches 160°F (160 °F) with no pink. Don't add more water or cover the pan: it would steam, not dry-fry, and turn into a wet mince.
8 minStep 5: Stir in 8 makrut lime leaves and fry for 1 more minute until they smell sharp and citrusy. Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed.
1 minStep 6: Pile onto a plate, scatter with sliced red chilli and serve with jasmine rice, cucumber and long beans.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 7 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does khua kling take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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