Sambal Pork Fried Rice with Vietnamese Balm
We respected Piggy! [Photo Credit: Alex Paternostro]
Recipe by Seth Paternostro
Introduction by Alex Paternostro
November 27, 2021
Bernice told us about Piggy’s thoughts, and we listened...
Serves 2
Total time
30 minutes
Equipment:
cutting boards (1 for meat, 1 for vegetables), chef’s knife or cleaver, sturdy flat-bottomed wok, small mixing bowls, chopsticks, tasting spoon, wok shovel, measuring cups and spoons, squirt bottle (for fresh oil)
Tableware:
bowls and utensils
Ingredients
½ lb pork belly
1 shallot
4 cloves garlic
½ tsp palm sugar
1 tbsp sambal oelek
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
2 large eggs
½ tsp rice wine vinegar
1 hot korean chile, or other spicy pepper
2 cups cold rice
1 lime
Vietnamese balm, for garnish
Peanut oil, as needed
Black pepper, as needed
Kosher salt, as needed
Instructions
Set out all equipment, tableware, and ingredients. Preheat the sturdy wok over medium-high.
Peel the shallots and garlic. Mince the shallots, and thinly slice the garlic.
De-stem, de-seed, and mince the hot chile pepper.
Quarter the limes.
Roughly chop the Vietnamese balm.
Whisk the eggs with the rice wine vinegar, chile pepper, and a pinch of salt.
Mix the oyster sauce and light soy sauce together.
Break the rice into individual grains with your fingers.
On a separate cutting board, roughly chop the pork belly into small bite-size pieces.
Pour just enough peanut oil into the preheated pan to coat the bottom, sprinkle in a generous pinch of salt, then add the pork belly, spreading it out into about a single layer.
Sprinkle over a pinch each of salt and black pepper, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork has rendered most of its fat and is thoroughly golden brown.
Add the shallots, garlic, and palm sugar, then cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is just beginning to turn golden.
Carefully pour in the sambal oelek, stirring briefly until the color changes and any splattering dies down.
Dump in the rice, breaking it up if needed, and toss occasionally until very hot. The rice should sizzle and crackle when hot enough.
Drizzle the sauce mixture down the sides of the wok, and immediately toss to coat the rice. Cook until the sauce begins lightly caramelizing on the surface of the rice and the mixture does not look wet.
Move everything to one side of the wok.
Tilt the wok so that the section without rice is exposed to direct heat. If there is not enough rendered pork fat to pool slightly, then add 1 tbsp peanut oil, and allow to heat briefly.
Add the eggs, stir vigorously, and spread up the exposed side of the wok to cook quickly. Do not mix with the rice while raw. When almost fully cooked, flip the eggs over the rice, chop them in, then toss everything together.
Taste, adjust salt, toss, and plate.
Sprinkle the Vietnamese balm on top, and serve with a little lime on the side.
NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories 552 Total Fat 29.1g (37%) Saturated Fat 10.6g (53%) Cholesterol 266mg (89%) Sodium 556mg (24%) Total Carbohydrate 46.4g (17%) Dietary Fiber 1.2g (4%) Total Sugars 1.3g Protein 30.1g Vitamin D 18mcg (88%) Calcium 71mg (5%) Iron 2mg (13%) Potassium 151mg (3%) - Note: Please read our Nutrition Disclaimer.
Seth Paternostro is a writer and recipe developer based in Chicago. He is a co-founder of Our American Cuisine and graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in East Asian Studies. You can learn more about him here.
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