Khao Tom Haeng, or Dry Rice Porridge, is a tasty Thai dish that offers a delightful contrast to typical rice porridge that was made famous by Michilin-awarded Phuket’s street food stall, Go Benz.
As the name suggests, the dish is simply 'dry' boiled rice without soup. It is amply seasoned and served with an assortment of pork variations - steamed pork, deep-fried crispy pork belly, pork ribs, homemade pork balls, and steamed pork offals. It's garnished with aromatic fried garlic, spring onions, and pork lard for an added crunch and umami punch.
After visiting Phuket, trying out the famous dry rice porridge at Go Benz, and falling in love with it completely, I have decided to recreate the dish at home based on my experience and came up with a recipe that you can also easily recreate at home.
The process starts with a broth made from radish, pork bones, and ribs, simmered for an hour with coriander roots, pepper, and garlic. The resulting soup is packed with flavor, with the pork ribs and bones tender enough to fall apart, offering a peppery kick.
For rice, I strongly recommend using Thai Jasmine Rice. This aromatic long-grain variant carries a unique taste and texture - soft and fluffy, it pairs perfectly with the dry porridge dish we are making.
You're free to customize the dish with your favorite add-ons. In my version, I've included homemade pork balls, pork ribs, and crispy deep-fried pork belly, a recipe I've also shared on my blog. It's a breeze to prepare using an air fryer, and you can prepare it simultaneously as you make the soup.
As for the fried garlic, I suggest preparing it fresh. It's simple and quick - under 10 minutes - and provides a distinctly crunchy and aromatic finish. But, for the time-constrained, store-bought versions are available.
Creating handmade pork balls is also pretty straightforward. Marinate minced pork with sesame oil, soy sauce, pepper, and cornstarch, then let it sit at room temperature for around 20 minutes. That is it!
If you have been to Phuket before and love the unique dry rice porridge dish from Go Benz and you’d like to recreate it at home, you are going to love this recipe. Now, let’s get cooking!
To make this recipe, you are going to need:
- 250 g. Pork minced (for handmade pork balls)
- 2 tbsp. Soy sauce (for handmade pork ball)
- 1 tbsp. sesame (for handmade pork balls)
- 1 tbsp. Ground pepper (for handmade pork balls)
- 2 tbsp. Corn starch (for handmade pork balls)
- 1.5-2 liter water (for soup)
- 500 g. Pork bone and pork ribs (for soup)
- 2 tbsp. Dry cabbage leaves/ leaf mustard (for soup), (optional)
- ¼ tsp. Black soy sauce/ Sweet sauce (for soup)
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce (for soup)
- 1 tbsp salt (for soup)
- 2 tbsp pepper (for soup)
- 3-5 Coriander roots (for soup)
- 15-20 garlic cloves (for soup)
- 1 radish (for soup)
- 4-5 cups steam rice
- 1 cup of garlic, finely minced (fried garlic), (topping)
- ½ cup cooking oil (fried garlic)
- 300 g. Crispy belly pork (topping)
- Spring onion and coriander (finely-chopped), (topping)
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make Phuket-Style Dry Rice Porridge (Khao Tom Haeng) Recipe
1 Gather all the essential ingredients.
2 Start with a large pot and bring the pork bone and ribs to a boil over medium-high heat, ensuring the water level just covers the pork. After about 5 minutes, when the water begins to boil and bubbles appear, remove from the heat. Drain the pot, and refill it with fresh water, about 1.5 liters, before bringing it back to a boil.
3 While you are waiting for the water to boil, you can start pounding the garlic and coriander roots together. Continue pounding until they're well combined into a consistent mixture.
4 After pounding the garlic and coriander roots together well, add 2 tablespoons of ground pepper and 1 tablespoon of salt into the mixture. Continue to mix them until they are thoroughly combined.
5 Slice the radish into bite-sized pieces and add them to the pot. Next, include the mixed pounded garlic and coriander root. Add soy sauce and black soy sauce. Cover the pot with the lid and let the mixture boil for approximately 40 minutes, or until the pork bones and ribs become tender and easily fall apart.
6 For the crispy pork belly, you can use an Air Fryer to cook it. Start by cleaning and drying the pork belly thoroughly and then use a fork to puncture holes in the skin. Then rub the pork belly with salt and marinate it in vinegar for about 20 minutes before cooking it with an Air Fryer at 180°C for 20 minutes. For a more detailed guide, here’s how to make crispy pork belly using an Air Fryer.
7 Next, marinate the minced pork by combining salt, pepper, sesame oil, cornstarch, and soy sauce. Mix these ingredients thoroughly with the minced pork using your hands until well combined. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
8 To make the handmade pork balls, roll the marinated minced pork into balls using your hands. You can create any size that suits your preference. Once formed, drop the pork balls into the boiling pork bone pot. Let them cook for about 10 minutes, then reduce the heat and cover the pot with the lid.
9 Next, use a small pan to fry the garlic. Add ½ cup of cooking oil and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and keep stirring until it becomes fragrant and slightly yellow in color. After that, remove the pan from the heat.
10 Next, warm the steamed Jasmine rice in the soup pot for about 30 seconds using a sieve. Make sure to drain the soup thoroughly from the sieve.
11 Place the warmed Jasmine rice into a bowl. Adorn the rice with pork ribs, handmade pork balls, and crispy belly pork. Garnish the dish with fried garlic, dried cabbage leaves, and spring onions. If you wish, you can also serve the flavorful soup as a side dish. Now, it's time to enjoy your homemade Phuket-style dry rice porridge, or Khao Tom Haeng!
Other Thai Recipes You Might Like
Here are some of my favorite Thai that I think you might like. For more Thai cuisine, check out my Thai recipe page.
Phuket-Style Dry Rice Porridge (Khao Tom Haeng) Recipe
Recreate the famous Phuket-style dry rice porridge (Khao Tom Haeng), a tasty Thai dish offering a delightful contrast to typical rice porridge that was made famous by Michilin-awarded Phuket’s street food stall, Go Benz, with our easy-to-follow recipe.
Ingredients
- 250 g. Pork minced (for handmade pork balls)
- 2 tbsp. Soy sauce (for handmade pork ball)
- 1 tbsp. sesame (for handmade pork balls)
- 1 tbsp. Ground pepper (for handmade pork balls)
- 2 tbsp. Corn starch (for handmade pork balls)
- 1.5-2 liter water (for soup)
- 500 g. Pork bone and pork ribs (for soup)
- 2 tbsp. Dry cabbage leaves/ leaf mustard (for soup), (optional)
- ¼ tsp. Black soy sauce/ Sweet sauce (for soup)
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce (for soup)
- 1 tbsp salt (for soup)
- 2 tbsp pepper (for soup)
- 3-5 Coriander roots (for soup)
- 15-20 garlic cloves (for soup)
- 1 radish (for soup)
- 4-5 cups steam rice
- 1 cup of garlic, finely minced (fried garlic), (topping)
- ½ cup cooking oil (fried garlic)
- 300 g. Crispy belly pork (topping)
- Spring onion and coriander (finely-chopped), (topping)
Directions
- Gather all the essential ingredients.
- Start with a large pot and bring the pork bone and ribs to a boil over medium-high heat, ensuring the water level just covers the pork. After about 5 minutes, when the water begins to boil and bubbles appear, remove from the heat. Drain the pot, and refill it with fresh water, about 1.5 liters, before bringing it back to a boil.
- While you are waiting for the water to boil, you can start pounding the garlic and coriander roots together. Continue pounding until they’re well combined into a consistent mixture.
- After pounding the garlic and coriander roots together well, add 2 tablespoons of ground pepper and 1 tablespoon of salt into the mixture. Continue to mix them until they are thoroughly combined.
- Slice the radish into bite-sized pieces and add them to the pot. Next, include the mixed pounded garlic and coriander root. Add soy sauce and black soy sauce. Cover the pot with the lid and let the mixture boil for approximately 40 minutes, or until the pork bones and ribs become tender and easily fall apart.
- For the crispy pork belly, you can use an Air Fryer to cook it. Start by cleaning and drying the pork belly thoroughly and then use a fork to puncture holes in the skin. Then rub the pork belly with salt and marinate it in vinegar for about 20 minutes before cooking it with an Air Fryer at 180°C for 20 minutes. For a more detailed guide, here’s how to make crispy pork belly using an Air Fryer.
- Next, marinate the minced pork by combining salt, pepper, sesame oil, cornstarch, and soy sauce. Mix these ingredients thoroughly with the minced pork using your hands until well combined. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
- To make the handmade pork balls, roll the marinated minced pork into balls using your hands. You can create any size that suits your preference. Once formed, drop the pork balls into the boiling pork bone pot. Let them cook for about 10 minutes, then reduce the heat and cover the pot with the lid.
- Next, use a small pan to fry the garlic. Add ½ cup of cooking oil and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and keep stirring until it becomes fragrant and slightly yellow in color. After that, remove the pan from the heat.
- Next, warm the steamed Jasmine rice in the soup pot for about 30 seconds using a sieve. Make sure to drain the soup thoroughly from the sieve.
- Place the warmed Jasmine rice into a bowl. Adorn the rice with pork ribs, handmade pork balls, and crispy belly pork. Garnish the dish with fried garlic, dried cabbage leaves, and spring onions. If you wish, you can also serve the flavorful soup as a side dish. Now, it’s time to enjoy your homemade Phuket-style dry rice porridge, or Khao Tom Haeng!
