Minced pork toast is one of those (not-so-healthy-but-tasty) Thai starters that I really like. I find that this is just perfect for a party platter. It’s easy to make and requires only a few ingredients. This dish can be made ahead of time as they usually stay crisp for a while. If they get cold, you can pop them under the grill for a minute, and they’ll come back out warm and crispy.
Minced Pork Toast With Ar Jad
Minced pork toast is usually served with a dipping sauce called Ar jad. Ar Jad dipping sauce is made of a combination of vinegar, white sugar, and water. Fresh chopped cucumber, red chillies, and thinly sliced shallots are mixed into the vinegar mixture once it’s cool to room temperature. The same ar jad sauce is also served as a side dipping sauce for Grilled pork satay and Thai yellow curry. For this one, I served mine with sweet chilly sauce.
Plain white bread is usually used for toast in Thailand, but a baguette can also be used. The bread is often cut into small square pieces (approximately 2.5″x2.5″ in size). For the baguette, I’d slice them up at about 1.5 cm thick. If the bread is moist, leave them out on your pantry to air-dry for half an hour or so. Or you can lightly toast them for just a few minutes.
In an attempt to become more of a health-conscious person, I also tried to make a “bake” version of the dish. I tried both putting them in an oven and also under a grill. I’m sad to report that I haven’t had much success in getting the desired result. The bake versions are not as moist as the deep-fried version. The colour on the bake version is also not as vibrant. I believe it was the oil that played a big part in making this Pork Toast tasty. But if you have a healthier way to cook this, please share! I’d love to try them out!
Savory Minced Pork Toast
Ingredients
- 1 long baguette - sliced 1.5 cm thick
½ pound ground pork (minced pork)- 2 teaspoons coriander roots - crushed
2 teaspoons garlic - crushed
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cornflour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 medium eggs
2 teaspoons sesame seeds - for decoration
3 leaves cilantro (coriander) - for decoration- 2 small red chillies - for decoration
1 cup cooking oil - for deep frying
Instructions
- Marinade minced pork with the coriander root/garlic/pepper paste, salt, 1/2 lightly beaten egg, and cornflour for an hour.
- Spread the marinated pork on the baguette. The trick is to spread it a little bit more to the centre part of the baguette while keeping the rim slightly flat. Decorate with sesame seeds or coriander leave and red chillies. Dip each baguette in lightly beaten egg. Set aside on baking paper.
- Heat oil in a wok or a deep-fryer using medium-high heat. Fry these little baguettes for a few minutes on each side. I usually put the meat side face down first. Serve warm with Ar-jad dipping sauce.
