Thai-Inspired Pork Salad

Thai Pork portrait

If you’re in any way an aficionado of Thai cuisine, I think you could categorize my recipe this month as midway between a Lap and a Phla Mu. But whichever you may decide upon, this Thai-inspired pork salad — despite a lack of nightshades — packs a feisty punch indeed.

To enjoy it to the fullest, stir-fry the pork until it shows tinges of brown around the edges. Then you start to add the flavorings and by the time you’re done, that meat will be borderline crispy. Don’t be miserly with the ginger, you need a good chunk to satisfy the spice police and the same goes for both the fish sauce and coconut aminos — they’re going to help ramp up some flavor and inject a dose of umami and vitality. By the time the lime zest and juice has amplified the intensity, the result is mind-blowing. Gah! Who needs chillis anyway?!

A worthy note: It’s important to have everything ready and waiting before you pick up your skillet. This happens pretty fast!

Thai Pork process
5.0 from 5 reviews
Thai-Inspired Pork Salad
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 2 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp lard or other solid fat
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 11/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
  • 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 5 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • Zest and juice of 1 large lime
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp coconut aminos
  • ½ packed cup cilantro leaves, chopped
  • ½ packed cup thai basil leaves, chopped
  • ¼ packed cup mint leaves, chopped
  • Extra lime wedges to serve
Instructions
  1. Heat the fat on a fairly high heat in a large skillet or wok and tip in the pork.
  2. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the liquid has all but evaporated and the pork is beginning to brown.
  3. Whilst this is happening, break down the ground meat's tendency to clump with a long handled wooden fork or spoon.
  4. Add the ginger, garlic and shallots and cook for 3 minutes, stirring very frequently. You want the pork to crisp up but not burn on the bottom of the pan so keep that fork/spoon moving.
  5. Now stir in the lime zest and juice, together with the green onions, and cook a further minute.
  6. Tip in the fish sauce and coconut aminos and cook one minute more, scraping the sediment off the bottom of the pan all the while.
  7. Remove from the heat, throw in the herbs, give it all a good mix and serve with a decent wedge of lime on the side.
Notes
Delicious hot, warm or cold -- served with kelp noodles or in lettuce boats.
With noodles included, this recipe serves three.

 

About Kate Jay

Kate Jay, NTP, RWP, CGP and AIP Certified Coach, has been blogging at Healing Family Eats, since June 2014. Diagnosed years ago as hypothyroid, she and her family were already following the GAPS diet for digestive issues when Kate noticed swelling consistent with RA. She set up her AIP food blog as motivation for making the restricted diet as exciting as possible for her children, who felt they missed out on the junk their friends took to school. Originally a classically trained chef, who freelanced with popular food magazines in the UK, she is now passionate about helping her clients heal using a combination of her holistic training, lab work and real food as medicine. She focuses on creating simple, nutritionally dense and balanced family meals, without compromising on flavour. Find her also on FacebookPinterestTwitter and Instagram.

35 comments

  • […] Find today’s recipe over on Mickey and Angie’s blog, Autoimmune-Paleo. […]

    • Stacy says

      My family can’t get enough of this dish! Thank you!

      • Kate Jay says

        I’m so pleased to hear that Stacy, thanks for the feedback 🙂

  • Karen says

    Aren’t those rice noodles?

  • Amber says

    Tastes great, very flavorful, even with ground beef. I used it over cauli-rice.

  • Janelle says

    This is so delicious! Thank you.

  • Candice says

    This recipe is legit. So much flavor. Weekly rotation for sure. Had it on top of arugula and cauliflower rice.

  • vian says

    Made this tonight. This will be in the weekly rotation for sure! I added shredded carrots to add more bulk and veggies, and I left out the cilantro because I hate it. My lime was very juicy, so I think I ended up with a bit too much lime juice, but it was still delicious! I served it with rice noodles as I’ve made some reintroductions . I also added a bunch of black pepper for some more heat

  • Caroline says

    Was great! Thanks for this! Totally satisfied my asian flavours craving. Had it with lettuce boats, would it not be too dry with noodles?

    • Kate J says

      So pleased you enjoyed it Caroline. We love it with the noodles – it bulks it up more than lettuce does and no, not dry at all 🙂

  • Val says

    I made this in my wok last night and it was incredible!! I was not expecting the light, refreshing bouquet of flavours that burst forth when I took my first bite – I echo other comments made – this is definitely going in weekly rotation! Just wow – thanks for the delicious recipes.

    • Kate J says

      I’m thrilled you loved this Val, thanks so much for taking the time to say so!

  • Meagan Faeth says

    Kate, THIS IS SO GOOD!! Yay! Thank you!

  • Julia says

    Absolutely delicious. I’d been missing hot spicy food since I started the AIP so the Thai basil was great esp as I have it growing in the garden. I used chicken instead of pork. Will definitely be cooking this again.

    • Kate J says

      So pleased you enjoyed the recipe Julia, how lucky having Thai basil in your garden. It isn’t always easy finding it in the shops, you have me thinking I should do the same!

  • […] creative recipes and mash it up into a new tasty creation. Tonight I tried a modification of a recipe from one of my favorite autoimmune pale blogs. As usual, I omitted a few things I didn’t […]

  • Ashley says

    Is there a specific brand of kelp noodles you recommend?

  • Livia says

    This recipe is SO delicious and so easy to make. My husband and I, want to eat it again tonight! There are only few ingredients and it is very flavourful. Thank you!

  • Donna says

    My food sensitivity test said, NO kelp noodles (or sea vegetables of any kind.) Can you think of any other AIP approved noodles I can substitute? I’m not crazy about “zoodles” from zucchini….So far, I have just been just skipping noodles but after 2 years I sure do miss them!

  • Stefani says

    This is a weekly staple in our household, the BEST flavors! If I need to stretch the meal for lunches I started adding a head of cabbage, shredded. I add in just after the shallots. Our favorite go to meal, especially with fresh garden herbs! Thank you!!

  • Shani says

    Is that one 1/2 inch piece of ginger? It must be right? It looks a little like a 1 1/2 inch piece – like inch and a half – so just making sure. Thanks!

  • Kira Willett says

    Could you share which brand of kelp noodles and of fish sauce that you use? I’m afraid of accidentally eating the wrong thing and having a setback. Thanks!

    • Mickey Trescott says

      Kira, the fish sauce is linked in the post, and maybe Kate will chime in with her kelp noodle brand.

  • […] used it to make this Thai chicken curry with mushrooms and carrots and I think I need to make this Thai-inspired pork salad before the cilantro I’m currently growing […]

  • […] Style Shrimp Noodle Salad *sweet potato glass noodles @ Cook 2 Nourish (follow AIP notes)Thai Inspired Pork Salad *serve with kelp noodles @ Autoimmune WellnessKorean Noodle Stir-Fry *sweet potato glass noodles @ […]

  • […] Thai Inspired Pork Salad from Autoimmune Wellness […]

  • shinygreenbeetle says

    So delicious!

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