Spicy Thai Pork Salad Recipe

Tonight dinner was meant to be my favourite way to use pork mince - Chinese Potsticker Pork Dumplings - a recipe which I promise to blog next time I make them.  However, when little boys have had a big day of walks, day care, playing at the park and having friends come and play, time for making dumplings was not a luxury I had this evening.  Mouths needed filling - and fast!

With a fridge full of lettuce, a garden packed with goodies and some prime home-kill pork mince I set about making a tasty dinner in less than half an hour.  Wraps and some kind of Mexican pork concoction came to mind but I always love Asian flavours with my pork, so this Thai inspired dish was created.  This was devoured with bowls scrapped clean and cost about $6 to make - a winner!

Spicy Thai Pork Salad Recipe
Serves 4

1T Oil (I use Rice Bran)
2-3 Cloves Garlic, Crushed/Grated
1cm Ginger, Grated
½t Chilli Flakes (or to taste)
2t Sesame Oil
1t Chinese 5 Spice Powder
500g Pork Mince
1 Tomato, Diced
½C Water
1T Fish Sauce
3 Spring Onions, Sliced
½ Large Iceberg Lettuce, washed and roughly chopped
1 Large Carrot, Grated
Steamed Rice and Coriander to Serve

Put rice on to cook (I used 1½ cups)
Heat oil in a large fry pan over medium heat.  When hot add garlic, ginger and chilli flakes and cook till fragrant and beginning to brown.  Add in sesame oil and 5 spice powder and cook for 30 seconds longer till very fragrant.  Add in mince and turn heat up to medium-high.  Sauté till mince is browned.  Add in tomato, water and fish sauce and bring down to a simmer for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, till sauce has reduce by half.  Add in most of the spring onion, keeping a little to garnish.  Stir and cook for another minute or so.
Pile lettuce, carrot and pork on top of steamed rice with a sprinkle of spring onion and coriander to finish then watch it disappear.

Poor old blog

Oh dear...

My poor old blog has been a bit neglected lately.  Life hasn't been the same since my youngest stopped having day time sleeps.  I used to use that time to blog a little and do a few of those fiddly jobs you just can't do with a toddler at your feet.

Life if good though, I happily toil in the garden while my boys play in the garden and continually muck aboutin the kitchen.  I'm currently having a smoothie each morning with a wheat grass shot and growing sprouts -  and feeling fantastic.  My boys are playing together a lot better (we've had a lot of push-and-shove the past few months), the other day they spent 4 solid hours together playing 'batman' after watching the 1966 movie.  Amazing how my sofa cushions can be turned into a bat copter, then bat boat, then bat car or bat bike!

I am still slowly transforming our old office into a scullery, learning how to plaster and paint as I go.  I'm looking forward to making this house feel more like home.  After moving 19 times in my nearly 32 years I seem to have made it a habit.  But I think it's time to put roots down - for a good few years at least (there I go again).  Painting this house to make it our own will help me feel more settled I'm sure.