Khao Tung Na Tung Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced cilantro roots
• 1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• ½ pound shrimp, shelled (reserve the shells), deveined and finely chopped
• 2 cups coconut milk
• ½ pound ground pork
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• ¼ cup palm sugar
• ⅓ cup chopped roasted peanuts
• ¼ cup thinly sliced shallots
• 1 (7-ounce) package rice cakes
• Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
• 2 thinly sliced Thai red chiles, for garnish 

Directions

1. In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, cilantro root and white peppercorns into a paste.
2. In a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil. Add the shrimp shells and cook until the shells have turned pink, about one minute. Add the coconut milk, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain the coconut milk through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and set aside. Discard shells.
3. Clean the saucepan and return it to the stove over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons canola oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic-peppercorn paste and fry until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the infused coconut milk, ground pork, fish sauce and palm sugar. Simmer, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until the pork has cooked through. Add the peanuts, shallots and shrimp and cook until the shallots have softened and the shrimp has cooked through, about 2 minutes.
4. Transfer to a medium bowl and garnish with cilantro and Thai chiles. Serve with rice cakes.