Thai Spicy Pork Bones Soup - "Leng Saeb"

Method5 steps · about 2 hr 30 min

1. 1

   Step 1: In a large stock pot add the bones and cover with the water (14.8 cup). Add the soy sauce (2 Tbsp) and the fish sauce (2 Tbsp) and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes or until a significant amount of scum collects on top. Skim off the scum and discard.

   Simmer bones · 30 minUses 3 lb pork neck or back bones (see note 1) · 14.8 cup water · 2 Tbsp soy sauce · 2 Tbsp fish sauce

2. 2

   Step 2: Add the onions (0.5), garlic (0.5 head), and peppercorns and simmer for another 1.5 hours or until the meat is fork tender. If water dries up too quickly, top it off just until the bones are submerged.

   Braise until tender · 90 minUses 0.5 onion · 0.5 head garlic · ½ tsp white peppercorns (cracked) · extra water only if needed to keep bones submerged · bones simmered in water, soy and stock fish sauce for thirty minutes, scum removed

3. 3

   Step 3: Take 2 cups of the pork stock and bring to a boil in a small pot. Keep the pork bones in the broth to keep them moist until ready to serve. Meanwhile pound the chilies in a mortar and pestle until broken into bits or finely chop them.

   Uses 3–4 Thai chilies · two cups drawn from pork-bone stock after ninety-minute aromatic simmer

4. 4

   Step 4: Once the broth is boiling, turn off the heat and immediately add the garlic (3 Tbsp) and chilies. Season with the sugar (2 tsp), fish sauce and lime juice (3 Tbsp), then taste and add more fish sauce if needed. (How much fish sauce depends on how far your stock reduced, so you have to taste and adjust here.) When ready to serve, stir in the cilantro (⅔ cup).

   Uses 3 Tbsp lime juice · 1 Tbsp fish sauce (approx) · 2 tsp sugar · 3 Tbsp chopped garlic · ⅔ cup chopped cilantro (if you have sawtooth coriander, you can add it too) · extra fish sauce to taste after initial 1 tbsp final seasoning · the measured two cups stock brought to a boil · three to four Thai chillies pounded or finely chopped

5. 5

   Step 5: Arrange the tender cooked pork bones on a platter deep enough to hold the broth. Ladle the seasoned garlic-chilli broth over them and serve with cooked jasmine rice. Pick the meat from the bones with a spoon and fork, and spoon the broth over the rice. Cool and refrigerate leftover stock promptly, or freeze it for longer storage.

   Uses Jasmine rice for serving · cooked bones with meat fork tender, kept moist in remaining stock · two cups hot stock seasoned off heat with garlic, chilli, fish sauce, lime, sugar and cilantro