Healing Pork and Shrimp Rice Soup (Kao Tom Moo)
A soothing Thai-style pork rice porridge, generously seasoned with garlic and ginger—an ideal light meal when feeling under the weather.
Ingredients
chicken stock
2¼ cups
water (plus more as needed)
1 cup
cooked jasmine long-grain rice
2 cups
vegetable oil (divided)
2 tablespoons
garlic (chopped (1½ tablespoons))
5 cloves
fresh ginger (peeled and minced (2 tablespoons))
2-inch piece
ground pork
4 ounces
spinach leaves (chopped)
1 cup
soy sauce
1 tablespoon
salt
1 teaspoon
egg (optional)
1
sesame oil (optional)
1 teaspoon
cooked medium shrimp (peeled, for garnish)
8
green onions (Chopped, for garnish)
cilantro leaves (Chopped, for garnish)
ground white or black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
1
Start rice soup
In a large pot, combine the stock, water, and rice and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium heat and simmer while preparing the other ingredients.
2
Cook aromatics
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry until golden and fragrant (1-2 minutes), taking care not to burn. Reserve half and add the rest to the soup.
3
Cook pork
Heat the remaining oil in the same pan. Add the pork and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until it changes color. Stir the partially cooked pork into the soup. Simmer until the rice absorbs some of the liquid and swells to about 1.5 times its original size (another 2-3 minutes), adjusting the consistency to roughly one-third liquid and two-thirds rice.
4
Finish and serve
Add the spinach, soy sauce, and salt. Once boiling, crack in the egg and drizzle with sesame oil. Give it a final stir and ladle into bowls. Garnish with the reserved garlic and ginger, shrimp, green onions, and cilantro, and sprinkle with pepper to taste.
