Mok Nor Mai: Spicy Isaan Bamboo Shoot Stew with Pork Belly

Mok nor mai is a fragrant, spicy Isaan (Northeastern Thai) dish of shredded bamboo shoots simmered with pork belly and herbs, thickened with pounded rice, and finished with basil and lime leaves. Eaten with a basket of hot sticky rice, it is comforting and addictive. You can buy it at Isaan food stalls, but the homemade version tastes far better.

What does "mok" mean?

In Isaan cooking, mok refers to a dish where ingredients are mixed with a curry paste and fermented fish sauce, sometimes with rice added, then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed or grilled. Some versions are simply cooked down in a pot until thick.

How is mok nor mai different from bamboo shoot soup?

Mok nor mai is cooked with tom yum-style aromatics such as lemongrass, shallots, kaffir lime leaves, and basil, and has a thick, porridge-like consistency from the rice. Bamboo shoot soup (kaeng nor mai), by contrast, is a thinner broth flavored with green onion, cilantro, and sawtooth coriander, with the nutty aroma of toasted rice powder.

What goes into Isaan mok nor mai?

Boiled bamboo shoots are simmered in yanang leaf juice with a pounded paste of lemongrass, chilies, and shallots. Pork belly (or another meat) is added along with the two ingredients no Isaan cook would skip, fermented fish sauce (pla ra) and fish sauce, then rice is stirred in and the whole pot is cooked until it thickens. If you prefer not to simmer it, wrap the mixture in banana leaves and steam or grill it instead.

What thickens it?

Traditionally, soaked rice pounded into a paste (khao buea). If you are short on rice, glutinous rice flour, rice flour, or cornstarch will bind the mixture just as well.

Ingredients

1. 500 g (1.1 lb) young bamboo shoots
2. 5 tablespoons glutinous rice or jasmine rice
3. Pork belly, cut into bite-size pieces
4. 2–3 stalks lemongrass
5. 1 tablespoon salt
6. Fresh chilies, to taste
7. Shallots, peeled
8. 1 to 1 1/2 cups yanang leaf juice (available canned or frozen at Thai grocers)
9. 5 tablespoons fermented fish sauce (pla ra)
10. 1 tablespoon fish sauce
11. 1 teaspoon seasoning or bouillon powder
12. Thai basil leaves
13. Green onion, sliced
14. Kaffir lime leaves

Instructions

Rice paste (khao buea)

1. Soak the rice in water until the grains swell, then drain well.
2. Once the rice is dry, pound it thoroughly into a fine paste and set aside.

Mok nor mai

1. Boil the bamboo shoots until tender. Let them cool, then scrape them into fine shreds with a fork.
2. Pound the lemongrass with the salt until fine. Add the chilies and pound again, then add the shallots and pound coarsely. Set the paste aside.
3. Put the shredded bamboo shoots in a pot and add enough yanang juice to cover. Bring to a boil, then stir in the pounded paste.
4. When the pot returns to a boil, add the pork belly, fermented fish sauce, seasoning powder, and fish sauce, and stir well. Taste and adjust. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until the pork is cooked through. Taste and adjust again.
5. Stir in the rice paste and keep stirring until the liquid reduces. Cover and cook until the mixture softens and turns thick and sticky. Finish with the basil, green onion, and kaffir lime leaves and serve.

Tips

• No pork belly? Ground pork or ground chicken work just as well.
• Make it as spicy or as mild as you like by adjusting the number of chilies.