Ingredients
- 3 coriander roots, finely chopped. if you can’t get hold of any, use a handful of coriander stems instead
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tsp white peppercorns
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 Thai shallots (or 1 regular shallot), peeled and finely sliced (optional)
- 250g minced pork, or a mixture of minced pork and minced prawns
- 2 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
- 4 tbsp palm sugar
- 1 tbsp roasted peanuts, smashed, to serve
- 1 pineapple, trimmed, cored, sliced and cut into bite-size pieces
- 2-4 oranges (depending on size), peeled and sliced fairly thickly (use blood oranges when they’re in season)
- 1 long red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
- 1 handful fresh coriander leaves
Preparation
- In a mortar, pound the coriander roots, garlic and peppercorns to a paste.
- In a wok or frying pan, heat the oil, then stir-fry the paste for a couple of minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the shallots, if using, and stir into the paste for 30 seconds or so.
- Add the pork (or pork and prawns) and stir into the paste until well combined.
- Add the fish sauce and palm sugar, stirring and frying until the meat is cooked – three to five minutes. You’re looking for a texture akin to jam. Taste and adjust the seasoning: add more palm sugar or fish sauce, if you think it needs it. You want a salty, sweet, sticky mass.
- Add the peanuts and continue to cook until the mixture turns quite thick, like fudge.
- Turn off the heat and leave to cool completely. You can do all this ahead of time, even the day before you want to serve it; keep it refrigerated once cooled. You can also keep the fruit slices refrigerated for ease.
- Just before serving, roll the pork mix into balls of an appropriate size to fit on top of the pineapple and orange pieces
- Garnish each one with a sliver of chilli and a coriander leaf, and serve at once.
