- Hands-onabout 20 min
- Choppinga fair bit
- Freezer friendlyno
Thai pork salad in about 20 minutes: pork on the BBQ, a pile of chopped herbs, a lime and chilli dressing, and low carb rice that only needs a kettle.
The chopping is the main job, around 10 minutes of it. While the pork cooks, the rice sits in its container and looks after itself. If the herbs are more than you’ve got today, the swaps below take most of the chopping out.
The method is in the recipe card below.
Can I manage this today?
- Spoon level: More Spoons
- Hands-on time: about 20 minutes, plus 5 minutes resting the pork while you finish the salad
- Main effort: finely chopping the coriander and mint. There’s no trimming of the pork.
- Chopping: a fair bit. Coriander, mint, cucumber, tomato and chilli, plus grating a lime. The swaps below cut most of it.
- Standing and attention: about 10 minutes at the BBQ, with one flip halfway. The chopping and dressing can be done sitting down.
- Thinking and sensory load: four things on the go (salad, dressing, rice and pork) and one timer for the pork. Fresh chilli, fish sauce and BBQ smoke are strong smelling.
- Washing up: a board and knife, a serving bowl, the rice container and a mason jar for the dressing. Rest the pork straight on the chopping board, so there’s no extra plate.
Quick spoon check
- As written: the full recipe below
There’s no no-spoons or low-spoon version of this one. It needs raw pork, a hot BBQ or pan, and a few things to wash up. The swaps below cut the chopping and the dressing.
Kerry’s notes
The dressing is what makes this one. Fish sauce, lime, chilli, a little sweetener and sesame oil, shaken in a mason jar. Any left over keeps in the same jar. A plain pile of herbs suddenly tastes like you tried.
I put the rice on first. Boiling water, lid on, and then I forget about it while the pork cooks. Half the dressing goes through the salad and the rest goes over the pork.
No BBQ? Stir fry strips work in a very hot pan, 2 minutes a batch. Another sear-and-slice dinner worth keeping handy is Bun Cha Steak Noodles.
Konjac rice is Leigh’s department. Her low carb pasta alternatives guide covers rice too, and I’ll stay out of it.
What’s that ingredient?
Qetoe low carb rice. A rice-style product made from konjac flour and rice flour, sold in an 80 g pack. You make it with boiling water and a lid, so there’s no pot on the stove. You can buy it from low carb pantry shops online. Slendier konjac rice is another option, and Woolworths stocks it in some locations. Make it fresh and eat it straight away. Easiest swap: microwave rice if you’re not keeping it low carb, or frozen cauliflower rice. Either has a different texture, so expect a slightly different salad.
Golden monkfruit sweetener. A brown-sugar-style sweetener made with monk fruit. I use Lakanto. There’s only 1 teaspoon in the dressing, there to balance the lime and fish sauce. Easiest swap: any granular low carb sweetener you already have. If you aren’t keeping it low carb, a pinch of regular sugar works.
No Spoon Swaps
Pick whichever of these saves you the most effort today.
- Herb paste or frozen herbs instead of fresh coriander and mint: no fine chopping. The flavour is softer and you lose the fresh crunch and colour.
- Jarred minced chilli instead of a fresh long red chilli: no slicing. It’s usually milder, so add it a quarter of a teaspoon at a time and taste.
- Bottled lime juice, and skip the zest: no grating. The dressing is a little less fragrant.
- Peanuts already chopped or crushed: no board work. You may get a few finer crumbs.
- Pork stir fry strips instead of steaks: no slicing after cooking. It’s another pan to wash and the oil can spit.
- Thai-style salad kit instead of the herbs, cucumber, tomato and homemade dressing: no chopping and no dressing to make. The kit has carrot, red cabbage, mizuna, capsicum, celery, crispy onion and its own dressing. A 250–300 g bag is two serves for about $4–6. Put the pork on top. The flavour will be different from the original. Check the label if you’re keeping it low carb.
Dietary swaps
- Peanut-free: leave the peanuts off, or use toasted pepitas. You lose some crunch.
- Fish-free: use a vegan fish sauce from the Asian aisle. Taste the dressing before you add the rest.
- Not keeping it low carb: use any cooked rice. The dish is no longer low carb.
Allergen notes
- Peanuts: scattered over the top.
- Sesame: in the sesame oil and the seeds on the rice.
- Fish: in the fish sauce.
- Gluten: check the labels on the fish sauce, sesame oil and rice, because brands vary.
Storage, freezing and reheating
- Fridge: Cool, then refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep at 5°C or below and eat within 3 days, or within 2 days for the rice. Leftover dressing keeps in its jar in the fridge for the same 3 days. Store the pork, the salad and the rice in separate containers.
- Freezer: Skip the freezer for this one. Don’t freeze any part of it: the salad, the rice or the cooked pork.
- Reheating: Don’t reheat the salad. Reheat the pork once, until steaming hot all the way through. Microwave one portion of sliced pork in a covered microwave-safe bowl for 60 seconds on high, stir, then 30 seconds more. Add 10 seconds at a time if it isn’t steaming hot in the middle. It’s also nice cold. Qetoe rice is best made fresh and eaten straight away. If you do reheat it, stir in a splash of water first, or it turns clumpy and gluey.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make this Thai pork salad without a BBQ?
Yes. Use pork stir fry strips instead of the steak. Cook them for 2 minutes in a very hot pan with a little avocado oil. Cook them in batches so they brown instead of steaming. The salad, dressing and rice stay exactly the same. You’ll have one more pan to wash.
What is Qetoe low carb rice made from?
Qetoe low carb rice is made from konjac flour and rice flour, according to the Yo Keto listing. In this recipe it only needs boiling water and a lid, so there’s no pot on the stove. Check the packet for current directions, because brands can change them.
How do I know the pork is cooked?
Cook pork steaks until they reach 70°C in the middle. Then rest them for 3 to 5 minutes, which is the Food Safety Information Council’s guidance. A probe thermometer takes out the guesswork. No thermometer? Cut into the thickest part. It should look pale with no raw pink, and the juices should run clear.
How do I make it less spicy?
Start with half the chilli, taste the dressing, then add more if you want it hotter. You can also use jarred minced chilli and add it a quarter of a teaspoon at a time. Fresh chilli stays on your fingers, so wash your hands before touching your eyes.
Thai Pork Salad with Lime and Chilli Dressing
Equipment
- Kettle
- BBQ plate (or frying pan)
- Chopping board and knife
- Serving bowl
- Heatproof container with a lid
- Mason jar
Ingredients
Salad
- 100 g Lebanese cucumber cut into roughly 1 cm pieces
- 50 g tomato cut into roughly 1 cm pieces
- 1 bunch fresh coriander (about 50-70 g), finely chopped
- ½ bunch fresh mint leaves picked and finely chopped
Dressing
- 1 long red chilli finely sliced (start with half, add more to taste)
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoon lime zest
- 1 teaspoon Lakanto golden monkfruit sweetener
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Pork
- 300 g pork loin steak
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil for brushing
- 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts roughly chopped
Rice
- 1 packet (80 g) Qetoe low carb rice
- boiling water enough to cover the rice by about 1 cm
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Make the rice
- Boil the kettle.
- Tip the Qetoe rice into a heatproof container.
- Pour over enough boiling water to cover the rice by about 1 cm.
- Put the lid on and leave it for the soak time on the packet while you do the rest.
Make the dressing
- Finely slice the chilli. Use half for a mild dressing.
- Put the lime juice, lime zest, sweetener, fish sauce and sesame oil in a mason jar.
- Add the chilli.
- Put the lid on and shake until the sweetener has dissolved.
Cook the pork
- Heat the BBQ plate to medium-high.
- Pat the pork dry with paper towel.
- Brush both sides lightly with avocado oil.
- Cook for 5 minutes per side, until the pork reaches 70°C in the middle. No thermometer? The thickest part should look pale with no raw pink, and the juices should run clear.
- Move the pork onto the chopping board and rest it for 5 minutes, about half the cooking time. That's roughly as long as the salad takes to make.
- Slice the pork across the grain into strips about 1 cm thick.
Make the salad
- Put the cucumber, tomato, coriander and mint in the serving bowl.
- Pour over half the dressing.
- Toss until the leaves are coated.
Put it together
- Spoon the salad onto two plates.
- Lay the sliced pork on top.
- Pour over the rest of the dressing and any juices from the chopping board.
- Scatter over the chopped peanuts.
- Serve the rice on the side, sprinkled with the sesame seeds.
Notes
- No BBQ? Cook pork stir fry strips in a very hot pan with a little avocado oil, about 2 minutes a batch. Cook in batches so they brown.
- Leave out the rice and the carbs drop to about 3 g per serving.
- Peanut-free: leave them off or use toasted pepitas.
- Keep the pork, salad and rice in separate containers. Fridge at 5°C or below, eat within 3 days. Cooked rice within 2 days, though Qetoe rice is best made fresh and eaten straight away. Skip the freezer for this one.
Nutrition
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A final spoon-saving note
Some nights the herbs get chopped. Some nights the tube of herb paste earns its spot in the fridge door. Both get you a Thai pork salad. Pick the version that suits your spoons today, then give it a go. If you want another quick salad, try the Sesame Chicken Noodle Salad.
