Coconut Grilled Pork Rice Burger
Bai sach chrouk in your hand: soy-glazed crispy rice buns sandwiching caramelised coconut pork, quick pickles, lettuce and sriracha mayo.
Method
Slice the pork 3 mm thin and toss it with the minced garlic, coconut milk, palm sugar, fish sauce, half the soy sauce and the pepper; marinate in the fridge for .
Add in this stepPork shoulder or collar (neck) 200 gGarlic cloves 2Coconut milk 50 mlPalm sugar (or light brown sugar) 1½ tspFish sauce 1½ tspLight soy sauce 1¼ tspBlack pepper 1 pinch
Shave the cucumber and carrot into long thin ribbons with a peeler, toss with the rice vinegar and sugar and pickle for . Squeeze dry before using.
Add in this stepCucumber ½Carrot 40 gRice vinegar 2 tbspSugar 2 tsp
Make the rice buns: mix the starch and sesame oil into the warm rice with a spatula, half-mashing the grains so it turns sticky. Divide into 2 buns per serving and press each firmly into a 10 cm ring (or a lid) lined with cling film to make a solid 1.5 cm-thick disc. Wrap and chill for so they don't break when you fry them.
Add in this stepWarm cooked short-grain rice 400 gPotato starch 2 tspToasted sesame oil 1 tsp
Heat half the oil in a 26 cm, 1 batch frying pan over medium heat, add the rice buns and leave them untouched until the underside is crisp, then turn. Cook for in total, brushing both sides with the remaining soy sauce during the last 30 seconds for a golden glaze. Soy burns quickly, so take them out as soon as they are glazed.
Add in this stepNeutral oil ¾ tbspLight soy sauce 1¼ tsp
medium heatWipe out the pan (or use a 24 cm frying pan), add the rest of the oil and heat over medium-high heat. Lift the pork out of the marinade (discard what's left), spread it out and cook for , turning, until caramelised at the edges and cooked through with no pink.
Add in this stepNeutral oil ¾ tbsp
medium-high heatMix the mayonnaise and sriracha. Spread some on one rice bun, then layer lettuce, pork and the squeezed pickles, add a little more sauce and top with a second bun. Wrap the bottom half in baking paper so it holds together and is easy to eat.
Add in this stepMayonnaise 2 tbspSriracha 1 tspRomaine lettuce leaves 2
Cook's tip
Sticky short-grain rice holds together best; with a drier rice such as jasmine, add a little extra starch. Wet your hands so the rice doesn't stick to them.
Cooking it at camp
Shape the rice buns at home, wrap them and pack them in the cooler; at the campsite you only need to crisp them in a cast-iron pan or on a grate. The pork is even better grilled over charcoal.