Moo Dad Deaw: Thai Dried Pork Strips

Since more and more Thai restaurants have been offering it on the menu, “Moo Dad Deaw” ( หมูแดดเดียว ) is one of our absolute favorite snacks. Moo Dad Deaw is sun-dried pork that is then deep-fried. The drying process gives the meat a very intense aroma, which is further enhanced by the deep-frying.

As the sun doesn’t shine quite as reliably here in Germany as it does in Thailand, the meat is often dried in dehydrators here. I spontaneously bought one of these appliances last week, christened it “Dörte” (a german name for women that reminds me of the german name “Dörrautomat”) and immediately started using it with Moo Dad Deaw.

The first time we used it, we were perhaps a little too careful and dried the meat too much, but the second time I have now found the optimum drying time to be between four and five hours.

I like to use peanut oil for frying as it has a very high smoke point. Our finished Moo Dad Deaw tasted just as good as the one at the Thai restaurant. And before I go into mass production, I have written down the recipe for Thai Moo Dad Deaw for you, but also for me as a reminder.

Recommended Dehydrator at amazon.de¹

Preparation

First cut the meat into thin strips. These should be slightly less than one centimeter thick, about two to three centimeters wide and no more than five centimeters long.

Then crush the peppercorns in a mortar. Then peel and chop the garlic cloves and also crush them in a mortar. Now add the chili powder to the two spices and then mix everything together with the soy sauce.

Pour this mixture over the meat and spread so that all the strips of meat are covered. Place the marinated meat in the fridge for about half an hour

Then divide the strips of meat evenly between the shelves of the dehydrator and dehydrate for four to five hours at 70° Celsius. Depending on the dehydrator , turn and rearrange the meat several times.

As soon as the meat has the desired consistency, remove it from the dehydrator and put it back in the fridge for about half an hour.

Now heat plenty of oil in a small pan, preferably with a glass lid, and deep-fry the dried meat briefly in batches. Then place the deep-fried meat on a piece of kitchen paper so that the oil can drip off.

The finished Moo Dad Deaw can then be served immediately as a snack or starter. It goes perfectly with a dip called Nam Jim Jaew from the Thai region of Isaan