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    Home » Recipes by Category » Main Dishes

    Published: Apr 10, 2022 · Modified: Nov 7, 2023 by Nart · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Thai Garlic Pepper Pork | Moo Gratiem | หมูกระเทียม

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Thai garlic pepper pork is an irresistible dish that is very easy to make and can be whipped up in 20 minutes! It's great with rice or porridge. Add cucumber slices to the combo and there you have the perfect dinner for any evening.

    Thai garlic pepper pork in a white bowl

    Why This Recipe Works

    If I have to name a Thai dish that pretty much every Thai kid and adult loves, Thai garlic pepper pork, known as moo gratiem (หมูกระเทียม) or moo tod gratiem prik thai (หมูทอดกระเทียมพริกไทย) in Thai, definitely comes to mind. Why this dish? Because it's so tasty and such an easy pork recipe to make. Also, there's no chili in it, so you don't have to worry about it being too hot for kids.

    For those who don't eat pork, there are other variations of this dish as well. Here, people do make or order garlic pepper chicken, beef, seafood or even tofu. Most of the ingredients required are basic sauces for cooking Asian. There might be one or two that you may not be familiar with but they're sure worth having if you love to cook Asian food.

    Ooh, and make sure you enjoy it with this bael fruit drink, such a great combo!

    Ingredients

    Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

    ingredients for making Thai garlic pork or หมูกระเทียม

    Ingredient Notes

    White Peppercorns: This is a must. Pounded whole white peppercorns give a much stronger scent than white pepper powder and that's what makes this dish delicious. 

    Pork: I prefer to use the cut with just a bit of fat or none at all but you can use any cut you like.

    Oyster Sauce: This sauce keeps the pork moist and also adds a bit of saltiness and thickness to all the other ingredients that will coat the pork. 

    Sweet Soy Sauce: If you've read enough Thai recipes, you might have noticed we use sugar in our cooking. In Thai cuisine, we don't always add sugar to actually sweeten food. A lot of times we just use it to round out the flavor. For this dish, though, we're using sweet soy sauce instead of sugar because it helps us achieve that nice dark brown color that sugar won't. 😉

    Step-By-Step Instructions

    process shots of how to make Thai garlic pepper pork

    Step 1: Add white peppercorns to the mortar

    Step 2: Pound with a pestle until fine.

    Step 3: Add garlic to the mortar.

    Step 4: Roughly pound the garlic while the pepper is still in the mortar.

    process shots of how to marinate garlic pork

    Step 5: Put the pork that has already been cut into pieces in a bowl and season with salt.

    Step 6: Add the pounded white peppercorns and garlic mixture.

    Step 7: Massage to mix everything with your hand for about a minute and set aside.

    Step 8: Set a pan over medium heat.

    process shots of how to make Thai garlic pork

    Step 9: Add oil to the pan.

    Step 10: Fry the marinated pork in the pan.

    Step 11: Add oyster sauce.

    Step 12: Add soy sauce.

    process shots of how to make moo gratiem

    Step 11: Add sweet soy sauce.

    Step 12: Continue to fry the pork for another few minutes or until done.

    Tips

    a piece of Thai garlic pepper pork being picked out of a bowl with chopsticks

    1. Don't replace whole white peppercorns with pepper powder. Pounded whole peppercorns give a much stronger scent than white pepper powder and that's what makes this dish delicious.

    2. You can use any cut of pork you like. I recommend one with just a bit of fat or none at all.

    3. Don't omit this sauce because it keeps the pork moist and also adds a bit of saltiness and thickness to all the other ingredients that will coat the pork.

    4. A lot of times we use sugar to round out the flavor of Thai dishes. But for Thai garlic pepper pork, it's better to use sweet soy sauce it helps us achieve that nice dark brown color sugar won't.

    What To Serve With This Dish

    homemade Thai Sriracha sauce in a sauce bowl

    When it comes to serving Thai garlic pork, you can serve it with steamed rice or porridge.

    If you're sharing it with other people, serve it in a bowl or dish and use a spoon to take some of the pork to your own dish/bowl. If you're having this dish on your own, simply place it over or on the side or rice and enjoy with cucumber slices.

    I have to mention that homemade Sriracha sauce goes so well with moo tod gratiem. If you already have the sauce at home, be sure to try this dish with it!

    Storing

    Thai garlic pork garnished with cilantro in a white bowl

    If you don't finish this dish in one go or you want to prepare it in advance, you can put it in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

    When you're ready to eat, simply microwave it at the highest heat for 1-2 minutes.

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    📖 Recipe

    Thai garlic pepper pork in a white bowl

    Thai Garlic Pepper Pork Recipe

    Thai garlic pepper pork is an irresistible dish that is very easy to make and can be whipped up in 20 minutes! It's great with rice or porridge. Add cucumber slices to the combo and there you have the perfect dinner for any evening.
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Main Course, Main Dishes
    Cuisine: Thai
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2 people
    Calories: 395kcal
    Author: Nart

    Equipment

    • Mortar and pestle

    Ingredients

    • 1 teaspoon white peppercorns
    • 2 ½ heads garlic pealed
    • 200 grams pork cut into pieces
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon oil
    • ½ tablespoon oyster sauce
    • ½ tablespoon soy sauce
    • ½ teaspoon sweet soy sauce
    • 3 cilantro leaves for garnish
    • cucumber slices
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Add white peppercorns to the mortar
    • Pound with a pestle until fine.
    • Add garlic to the mortar.
    • Roughly pound the garlic while the pepper is still in the mortar.
    • Put the pork that has already been cut into pieces in a bowl and season with salt.
    • Add the pounded white peppercorns and garlic mixture.
    • Massage to mix everything with your hand for about a minute and set aside.
    • Set a pan over medium heat.
    • Add oil to the pan.
    • Fry the marinated pork in the pan.
    • Add oyster sauce.
    • Add soy sauce.
    • Add sweet soy sauce.
    • Continue to fry the pork for another few minutes or until done.

    Video

    Notes

    1. Don't replace whole white peppercorns with pepper powder. Pounded whole peppercorns give a much stronger scent than white pepper powder and that's what makes this dish delicious. 
    2. You can use any cut of pork you like. I recommend one with just a bit of fat or none at all.
    3. Don't omit the sweet soy sauce sauce because it keeps the pork moist and also adds a bit of saltiness and thickness to all the other ingredients that will coat the pork. 
    4. A lot of times we use sugar to round out the flavor of Thai dishes. But for Thai garlic pepper pork, it's better to use sweet soy sauce as it helps us achieve that nice dark brown color sugar won't.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 395kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 20gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 1045mgPotassium: 441mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 10IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 87mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cookingwithnart or tag #cookingwithnart!
    « Thai Steamed Squid with Lime Sauce
    Bael Fruit Drink | Nam Matoom »

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