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    Home » Recipes by Category » Main Dishes

    Published: Apr 29, 2022 by Nart · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Thai Garlic Pepper Pork | Moo Gratiem

    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 You Need

    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.

    What To Serve With This Dish

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

    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 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!

    Storage

    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.

    📖 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 26 votes
    Print Pin 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 the white peppercorns to the mortar and pound until fine.In a mortar, pound the white peppercorns until fine with a pestle. Add the garlic and give it a few pounds. The garlic doesn't need to be fine.
    • With the pounded white peppercorns still in the mortar, add the garlic to it and roughly pound. Make sure the garlic is not too fine.
    • Place the pork in a bowl and season with salt and the garlic and pepper mixture. Massage to mix everything together for about 1 minute.
      Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the pork once the oil is hot.
    • Set a pan over medium heat and add oil to the pan.
    • Place the pork in the pan to fry.
    • Season the pork with oyster sauce, soy sauce and sweet soy sauce.
    • Remove from heat when the pork is done and serve with rice or porridge or let cool and store in the refrigerator.

    Video

    Notes

    1. Don't use 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.

    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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      Recipe Rating




    1. Jennifer Van Haitsma says

      May 06, 2020 at 11:09 pm

      I've never cooked with oyster sauce but this looks incredible! My husband would really like this.

      Reply
      • Nart says

        June 01, 2020 at 8:37 am

        It's one of the most common ingredients in Thai cooking. Makes stuff really good :p

        Reply
    2. Ashley White says

      May 06, 2020 at 7:08 pm

      This looks so good! I almost forgot I was vegetarian lol

      Reply
      • Nart says

        June 01, 2020 at 8:37 am

        Lol, thank you! Try it with tofu!

        Reply
    3. Mahy says

      April 17, 2020 at 7:10 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe makes me crave everything Thai. I really mis the flavors that only Thai dishes have, and excited to experiment with the cuisine a bit more. Can't wait! 🙂

      Reply
      • Nart says

        April 27, 2020 at 9:37 pm

        Enjoy!

        Reply
    4. Anna says

      April 17, 2020 at 7:09 pm

      5 stars
      Looks utterly delicious, I will be trying it with some noodles or fried rice! Yum!

      Reply
      • Nart says

        April 27, 2020 at 9:37 pm

        Thank you so much! Enjoy. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Priya Shiva says

      April 17, 2020 at 1:30 pm

      5 stars
      wow! I tried this recipe and came out really well. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Nart says

        April 27, 2020 at 10:30 pm

        You're very welcome!

        Reply
    6. Daniel says

      March 29, 2020 at 12:23 am

      5 stars
      I lived in Thailand 2 years and had this at least once a week. The pork in Thailand is amazing and cheap. Will try this week

      Reply
      • Nart says

        March 30, 2020 at 5:49 am

        Thanks, enjoy!

        Reply
    7. qungying says

      March 23, 2020 at 9:13 pm

      5 stars
      it’s definitely one of my favorites! I normally opt for chicken but after seeing this one I’m definitely going to try it with pork! I’m loving how simple your sauce is too!

      Reply
      • Nart says

        March 25, 2020 at 12:07 pm

        Yaassss, just lots of garlic! 🙂

        Reply
    8. Lathiya says

      March 10, 2020 at 2:41 am

      5 stars
      I love how simple your dish is using minimal ingredients. Hope I can try this with chicken as we don't eat pork.

      Reply
      • Nart says

        March 10, 2020 at 12:04 pm

        Thank you! We do make this dish with chicken as well and it's just as good!

        Reply
    9. Sherelle says

      March 06, 2020 at 3:57 pm

      This looks great. Can't wait to try it.

      Reply
      • Nart says

        March 09, 2020 at 1:26 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    10. Ai says

      March 06, 2020 at 12:23 pm

      5 stars
      Looks incredible Nart! Thai food is one of my favorites! I'll take this pork and a bowl of rice every single day! YUUUUMMMM!

      Reply
      • Nart says

        March 09, 2020 at 1:26 pm

        Thank you Aiiiii! It's super easy to make too. Hope you get to try!

        Reply
    11. saif says

      March 05, 2020 at 8:09 am

      This look absolutely delicious. Perfect to eat this with rice. Makes me hungry 🙂

      Reply
      • Nart says

        March 05, 2020 at 12:48 pm

        Thank you! Yes, it's so good with rice 🙂

        Reply
    12. Beth says

      March 05, 2020 at 3:12 am

      5 stars
      Considering all the Thai restaurants I've eaten in during my Hawaii years, I don't think I've ever seen this dish on a menu. I can see I either have to look for it on my next visit, or make it myself, mmm.

      Reply
      • Nart says

        March 05, 2020 at 12:47 pm

        It's super easy, you can definitely make it!

        Reply
    13. Jacqueline Debono says

      March 05, 2020 at 2:03 am

      5 stars
      I really want to make this Thai garlic pork. It looks delicious!

      Reply
      • Nart says

        March 05, 2020 at 12:47 pm

        Do it, do it! Make it part of one of your pasta dishes :p

        Reply
    14. LaRena says

      March 05, 2020 at 1:41 am

      This sounds absolutely delicious. Can't wait to try it. Not to metion this is so easy to modify to gluten-free. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Nart says

        March 05, 2020 at 12:46 pm

        Thanks, and you're welcome!

        Reply
    15. Christian Guzman says

      March 04, 2020 at 9:50 pm

      5 stars
      Oh, wow. That looks incredible. I would love to try that in fried rice.

      Reply
      • Nart says

        March 05, 2020 at 12:46 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply
    Newer Comments »

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