Pork Rib Rice Soup (Kao Tom Kra Dook Moo) is a timeless Thai classic recipe. It is Thai comfort food, and every Thai household knows how to make it, each with its unique method of preparation and recipe.
It can be enjoyed for breakfast or as a late-night meal from street vendors. Whether to warm you up on a chilly day or to provide comfort when feeling sick and in need of something light and warm to fill your stomach, rice soup stands out as one of the best meal options of the day.
Thai rice soup, known as Kao Tom, comes in a delightful array of variations. It pairs seamlessly with a medley of ingredients, including pork ribs, minced pork, chicken, fish, and shrimp.
For vegetarians, Kao Tom also works beautifully with tofu and eggs, and not just that, you can easily adapt the dish to whatever you crave on any given day, which is why it has become a beloved staple in Thai households.
This recipe is quite straightforward, especially if you opt for pork ribs with rice soup. While it remains easy, the only additional step involves the time it takes to steam the ribs, resulting in a perfectly delicious rib-flavored rice soup. It's a worthwhile effort!
Now, let me share a little secret about enhancing the flavor of this rice soup recipe – "dry cabbage leaves." If you happen to have them in your household, consider adding them directly to the soup as you cook. These dry cabbage leaves work wonders, transforming the soup's taste from savory to a gently flavourful sweetness.
What I appreciate about this rice soup is its simplicity, using basic ingredients commonly found in households: rice, pork ribs (or any preferred protein), garlic, dry cabbage leaves, salt, coriander roots, and ground pepper. It's remarkably easy to make. Once your pork ribs and rice soup are ready, you have the freedom to customize each bowl to your liking, much like other Thai dishes such as noodle soup or congee.
Elevate the flavors and textures even more by adding garnishes such as fried garlic, sliced spring onions, celery, and chilies, along with condiments like fish sauce, soy sauce, and ground pepper.
If you want to explore more Thai soup recipes, consider trying these out: Easy Thai Chicken Rice Porridge (Jok Gai), Homemade Wonton Soup, and Authentic Tom Yum Goong Soup.
Now, let’s get cooking and enjoy!
To make this recipe, you are going to need:
- 350 g. Pork spare rib cut into the bite site
- 3 tablespoons salt (for cleaning the pork spare ribs)
- 300 g. Jasmine rice, uncooked
- 4-5 coriander root
- 3 tbs. Dry cabbage leaves
- 1 tbs. Salt (for soup)
- 5 garlic cloves, gently bruise (for soup)
- 20 garlic cloves, minced (for frying)
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- Green onion, finely sliced to taste and garnish
- Ground pepper, to taste, and garnish
- 3-liter water.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make Pork Rib Rice Soup (Kao Tom Kra Dook Moo) Recipe
1 Begin by gathering all the essential ingredients. Thoroughly wash and drain the Jasmine rice.
2 Add 2-3 tablespoons of salt to the pork spare ribs. Rub them thoroughly, ensuring the salt is well-distributed, and let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
3 After allowing the salted spare ribs to sit for 10 minutes, wash them thoroughly and drain any excess water.
4 Place a soup pot over medium-high heat and add approximately 1.5 liters of water. Gently bruise the 5 garlic cloves and coriander roots, then add them to the soup pot. Introduce the spare ribs and let them cook for about 40 minutes to 1 hour.
5 Once the soup starts to boil and bubbles appear, skim off any foam or impurities from the surface of the pot. Continue boiling the soup.
6 As the spare rib soup simmers, take the opportunity to prepare the minced garlic using a food processor.
7 In a wok pan or frying pot, heat ¼ cup of cooking oil over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and stir continuously until it becomes fragrant and turns slightly golden. Once you achieve this, remove the pan from the heat.
8 Once the pork spare rib soup is ready, use the same wok pan or pot. Add 2 tablespoons of the fried garlic and the dry cabbage. Stir and combine them well until they become fragrant.
9 Add the uncooked Jasmine rice to the wok pan. Stir and combine the rice with the fried garlic and dry cabbage leaves. Toss and turn the rice for about 5 minutes or until the rice starts to darken and turn slightly golden.
10 Pour the pork spare ribs and the soup over the rice. Stir and combine them for about 10 minutes, ensuring the flavors meld and the rice absorbs the delicious broth.
11 Pour 1.5 liters of water into the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and continue stirring for about 10 minutes until the rice is cooked and becomes fluffy.
12 Add ¼ cup of finely sliced green onion to the mixture. Then, pour the combined ingredients into the rice soup pot.
13 Season the dish with ground pepper and sliced green onion to taste. Stir and combine the ingredients. If the soup appears too dry, you can add about ½ cup of water to achieve your desired consistency.
14 Transfer the prepared dish into soup bowls and garnish with chopped green onion and fried garlic. That’s it! Enjoy!
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Pork Rib Rice Soup (Kao Tom Kra Dook Moo) Recipe
For a timeless Thai dish, you can't go wrong with pork rib rice soup (Kao Tom Kra Dook Moo). Let's make this classic recipe together with our easy-to-follow recipe.
Ingredients
- 350 g. Pork spare rib cut into the bite site
- 3 tablespoons salt (for cleaning the pork spare ribs)
- 300 g. Jasmine rice, uncooked
- 4-5 coriander root
- 3 tbs. Dry cabbage leaves
- 1 tbs. Salt (for soup)
- 5 garlic cloves, gently bruise (for soup)
- 20 garlic cloves, minced (for frying)
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- Green onion, finely sliced to taste and garnish
- Ground pepper, to taste, and garnish
- 3-liter water.
Directions
- Begin by gathering all the essential ingredients. Thoroughly wash and drain the Jasmine rice.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of salt to the pork spare ribs. Rub them thoroughly, ensuring the salt is well-distributed, and let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
- After allowing the salted spare ribs to sit for 10 minutes, wash them thoroughly and drain any excess water.
- Place a soup pot over medium-high heat and add approximately 1.5 liters of water. Gently bruise the 5 garlic cloves and coriander roots, then add them to the soup pot. Introduce the spare ribs and let them cook for about 40 minutes to 1 hour.
- Once the soup starts to boil and bubbles appear, skim off any foam or impurities from the surface of the pot. Continue boiling the soup.
- As the spare rib soup simmers, take the opportunity to prepare the minced garlic using a food processor.
- In a wok pan or frying pot, heat ¼ cup of cooking oil over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and stir continuously until it becomes fragrant and turns slightly golden. Once you achieve this, remove the pan from the heat.
- Once the pork spare rib soup is ready, use the same wok pan or pot. Add 2 tablespoons of the fried garlic and the dry cabbage. Stir and combine them well until they become fragrant.
- Add the uncooked Jasmine rice to the wok pan. Stir and combine the rice with the fried garlic and dry cabbage leaves. Toss and turn the rice for about 5 minutes or until the rice starts to darken and turn slightly golden.
- Pour the pork spare ribs and the soup over the rice. Stir and combine them for about 10 minutes, ensuring the flavors meld and the rice absorbs the delicious broth.
- Pour 1.5 liters of water into the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and continue stirring for about 10 minutes until the rice is cooked and becomes fluffy.
- Add ¼ cup of finely sliced green onion to the mixture. Then, pour the combined ingredients into the rice soup pot.
- Season the dish with ground pepper and sliced green onion to taste. Stir and combine the ingredients. If the soup appears too dry, you can add about ½ cup of water to achieve your desired consistency.
- Transfer the prepared dish into soup bowls and garnish with chopped green onion and fried garlic. That’s it! Enjoy!
