I created this recipe a long while back and have been giving away the finished product to my friends ever since. Guess what? Now they want the recipe! I have given out the recipe before, but some ingredients are not the most familiar to non-Asians and the method isn’t so simple to Asians either.
So my Asian friends asked to see the actual step-by-step recipe and the non-Asians are asking me to hold their hands to go buy the proper groceries together. I can’t do both with everyone so here we go, step-by-step and ingredients details. Ah…finally, there will be one thing crossed off my “procrastinable” list.
Australia’s culinary adventure will be pushed back just the same as the France trip, but I promise it won’t be THAT long. I will add a section in Thai at the end of this blog just to make it convenient for my native friends. You can ignore it if you are not one of the unfortunate 65 million who know how to read and write that language. Seriously, you don’t need to learn this particular tongue. I’m sure we’re not planning to conquer the world in this decade or even century.
What is shortbread? It’s the Scottish or British traditional dense cookie. The generic ingredients are: sugar, butter and flour with the proportion 1:2:3. No egg and no leavening agent. Remember, butter, not any other kind of fat or oil.
What is “pork floss”? It is a dried meat product might called, meat wool, meat floss, pork fu or pork sung. The Chinese word for it is “Rousong” (肉鬆). Rousong is made by stewing cuts of pork in sweetened soy sauce, where you keep cooking until the pork breaks apart into individual fibers. It’s a way to preserve excess meat just like corned beef, but dryer.
Thai people learned to eat Pork fu or Pork sung from the Chinese and it has become one thing we all have in our household. We use it in sandwiches, top it on bread, stuff it in a bun, eat it with boiled rice when we are sick, and so on.
What is “Nam Prik Pao”? If Vegemite wins the popular vote in the category “utility spread” in Australia, then Nam Prik Pao would win that same medal and beyond in Thailand. It’s the “not so secret” ingredient for Thai cooking. Some call it a “Thai Chili Jam” and some would consider it a “Thai Versatile Chili Paste” or simply “Roasted Chili Paste” on a restaurant menu.
It consists of dried chili, dried shrimp, fried garlic, fried shallot, tamarind paste, palm sugar, and fish sauce. We will talk about or even learn how to make it later. Yeah, this is back on my “procrastinable” list, no doubt. I hope you don’t ask me what butter, flour and sugar are so we can get started.
Ingredients:
Sugar 150g (3/4 cup)
Butter 250g – Preferably European style butter with butter cream content at least 82%
All purpose flour 250g (2 cups)
Pork floss 75g (1 cup)
Salt 1/4 teaspoon
Nam Prik Pao 1/4 cup
Method:
1) Cream the butter, salt and sugar together at a medium high speed
until it is white, creamy, fluffy and not grainy.
This will take a while. It took me about 10-15 minutes, I guess. Sorry, I will try to time it next time I make this. Stop the mixer every few minutes to scrape the side of the bowl and the blades.
2) Add flour and mix very quickly at the lowest speed so the gluten won’t form. If you mix for too long the shortbread with be tough and not flaky. I spent less than 30 seconds mixing the flour into the butter. It will look a little sticky but don’t be alarm. Once you add the pork floss it will be just fine.
3) Fold the pork floss into the dough.
Also try to mix this as fast as possible. I didn’t use the mixer at this point. I just used a spatula. Try to spread the pork floss evenly.
For your first time I recommend using the red-labeled once called “pork sung” because the fiber aren’t so long, so it’s easier to mix.
4) Warm the oven at 300º F and flour your hands. Scoop out about one tablespoon of the dough and roll it in a round ball about one inch in diameter,
press a finger imprint in the middle
and place it on a baking tray lined with a silpat. Leave the space about 2-3 inches apart as you add each ball.
5) Try your best to drain the oil out from the Nam Prik Pao.
Drop about 1/8 teaspoon of Nam Prik Pao in the middle of the dough where you made an indentation.
6) Bake with convection on, between 18-20 minutes.
This recipe will make about 4 dozen cookies. That’s it!
ส่วนผสม
1) เนย 250g สูตรนี้ใช้เนยฝรั่งเศสยี่ห้อ Pamplie อย่างจืด จะใช้เนยหอมๆยี่ห้ออื่นก็ได้ แต่พยายามให้ไขมันเนยอย่างน้อยๆ 82% ถึงจะดี European butter จะมีเปอร์เซ็นไขมันเนยสูงกว่าเนยอเมริกัน (เนยอเมริกันจะมีประมาณ 80%) ถ้าทำที่เมืองไทยซื้อเนยเมืองไทยเช็คส่วนผสมข้างห่อด้วยว่าเป็นไขมันเนยทั้งหมดหรือเปล่า ถ้าเนยมีผสมไขมันปาล์มอย่าซื้อ หรือใครคิดจะใช้มาการีนอย่าทำเลย เสียชื่อเจ้าของสูตรเปล่าๆ ไปหาขนมกลีบลำดวนที่ใช้น้ำมันหมูทำมากินแทนจะอร่อยกว่า
2) น้ำตาลทราย 150g (3/4 ถ้วย) สูตรนี้ใช้น้ำตาลยี่ห้อ 365 organic
3) แป้งสาลีอเนกประสงค์ 250g (2 ถ้วย) ใช้แป้ง King Arthur organic unbleached
4) หมูหยอง 75g (1 ถ้วยกดแน่นๆ) หมูหยองที่นี่ไม่ค่อยหวาน ถ้าใช้หมูหยองเมืองไทยอาจจะต้องลดน้ำตาลลงบ้าง แต่ลองทำดูก่อนรอบนึงแล้วค่อยปรับจะดีกว่า ถ้าทำหนแรกพยายามเลือกหมูหยองแบบกรอบที่เส้นใยไม่ค่อยยาว จะทำให้ชีวิตการปั้นสดใสขึ้น เพราะหมูหยองจะผสมเข้ากับแป้งได้ทั่วถึงเร็วกว่า แล้วคุกกี้จะดูสวยผ่องเสมอกัน พอเป็นแล้วคราวหน้าจะเปลี่ยนเป็นหมูหยองใยยาวๆก็ได้ตามสบาย
5) เกลือ 1/8-1/4 ช้อนชา แล้วแต่หมูหยองและเนย ต้องไปปรับเอา ดิฉันใช้เกลือฮาวายสีแดงๆชื่อ Alaea แต่เกลือสมุทรชนิดไหนก็ได้ ใส่นิ้ดเดียว แถมรสชาติที่ต่างกันของเกลือก็น้อย (แฮะๆ จริงๆแล้วมันไม่มีผลอะไรหรอกค่ะ แต่ไหนๆจะเยอะทั้งที เอาให้มันทุกอย่างเลยค่ะ กว่าจะอ่านสูตรจบก็หมดแรงบ่น“แม่เยอะ” เจ้าของสูตรพอดีค่ะ โฮะๆๆๆ)
6) น้ำพริกเผา 1/4 ถ้วย ใช้ไม่หมดหรอก พยายามตักอย่าให้ติดน้ำมันมาก มันจะทำให้ขนมเหลวและแผ่ออกแบนๆ เราอยากได้ขนมคัพซีไม่ใช่ดับเบิ้ลเอ สูตรจบแล้ว ของอ้วนๆทั้งนั้นเลย กินแล้วออกกำลังกาย อย่าไปคิดปรับเปลี่ยนลดโน่นลดนี่เพราะกลัวอ้วน เดี๋ยวจะไม่อร่อยเสียเปล่าๆ กินอร่อยๆแต่พอประมาณ แล้วออกกำลังกายให้สุขภาพแข็งแรงชีวิตมันจะสดใสแฮ้ปปี้กว่า
วิธีทำ
1) ตีเนยกับเกลือ และน้ำตาลทรายด้วยความเร็วปานกลางค่อนข้างสูงจนเป็นครีมนุ่ม น้ำตาลละลายเกือบหมด ใช้เวลาตีนาน 10-15 นาทีขึ้นไป เนยจะเปลี่ยนเป็นสีขาวฟู ปาดข้างอ่างผสมและหัวตีทุกๆสองสามนาทีด้วย
2) เติมแป้ง ผสมพอเข้ากันอย่าตีนาน เดี๋ยวกลูเต็นเกิดแล้วจะเหนียว ตีด้วยความเร็วต่ำ แบ่งแป้งออกเป็นสามส่วน ค่อยๆใส่ทีละส่วน ตีจนเกือบเข้ากันแล้วค่อยใส่ส่วนที่สอง(ผสม)และสามตามลำดับ ใช้เวลาตีทั้งหมดไม่ควรเกินครึ่งนาทีต่อการใส่แป้งทั้งสามครั้ง มันเร็วมากเพื่อไม่ให้แป้งเหนียว สูตรนี้ใส่แป้งและน้ำตาลน้อยกว่าปกติมาก จะดูเหลวๆแปลกๆ อย่าตกใจ ใส่หมูหยองแล้วจะดีเอง
3) เติมหมูหยอง ขั้นตอนนี้ใช้ไม้พายผสมจะง่ายและเร็วกว่าเครื่อง ผสมให้หมูหยองกระจายทั่วๆสม่ำเสมอกัน อย่าพิรี้พิไรผสมนาน รีบๆทำเดี๋ยวแป้งจะไม่กรอบร่วน
4) เปิดไฟเตาอบรอ 300º F แล้วทาแป้งนวลให้ทั่วมือเลย เราจะปั้นด้วยมือ ตักแป้งครั้งละ 1 ช้อนโต๊ะปั้นเป็นลูกกลมๆขนาดเส้นผ่าศูนย์กลางประมาณ 1 นิ้ว แล้วกดตรงกลางเป็นหลุมด้วยนิ้วโป้ง แล้ววางลงบนถาดที่รองด้วย Silpat วางให้ห่างกันสัก 2-3 นิ้ว (เพราะไม่ทราบว่ามันจะบานออกมาหรือไม่ เพื่อนเอาไปทำสามคน ปรากฎว่าพออบแล้วมันจะแผ่ออกมากว้างประมาณเกือบสามนิ้วก็มีค่ะ แต่สองคนใช้เนยอเมริกันที่มีปริมาณไขมันเนยแค่ 80% คือมีน้ำเยอะกว่าเนยยุโรป แล้วอีกคนใช้เนยยุโรป ตีเนยฟูแต่น้ำตาลยังละลายไม่หมด เลยยังไม่ทราบว่ามันแผ่เพราะอะไรกันแน่)
5) หยอดน้ำพริกเผา 1/8 ช้อนชาต่อก้อน พยายามอย่าให้น้ำมันในน้ำพริกเผาลงไปในแป้ง
6) อบเปิดพัดลม (convection) 18-20 นาที
สูตรนี้เป็นสูตรต้นฉบับที่“แม่ครัวส้นสูงจอมเยอะ”ปรับปรุงขึ้นมาเพื่อทำกินเองในบ้านและแบ่งปันกัน ขอยกให้เป็นวิทยาทาน จะไปทำกินเอง เลี้ยงเพื่อน หรือทำขายได้เลยค่ะ แต่ของร้องสำหรับคนทำขาย ขอให้ซื่อสัตย์กับลูกค้านะคะ อย่าประหยัดโดยการเปลี่ยนส่วนผสมไปใช้ของถูกเพื่อตัดต้นทุน ขายในราคาพอสมควรให้พออยู่ได้ดีกว่าค่ะ ถ้าทำเพื่อการแข่งขันในการขายอย่างเดียวโดยไม่คำนึงถึงรสชาติไปขายอย่างอื่นดีกว่าค่ะ
Unusual combination of ingredients to the western palate but sounds really good. Will look for those ingredients on my next trip to our Pan-Asian market.
This is one “savory shortbread” or what my husband would called “weird cookie with fish sauce” (there is fish sauce in the nam-prik-pao but not much, the man just exaggerate it) but he would pop them in his mouth one after the other until I almost have to lock the container! I think if you can find the ingredients and make them, you would enjoy it too. 🙂 Thanks for visiting my blog.
Looks and sounds delicious! So innovative. I love hot stuff and to incorporate nam prik pao into cookies, yumz…………..
You can choose the hotter nam-prik-pao or just simply add more chili flake in to it if you like super hot stuff.
Oh my gosh your recipe brings me back to my childhood memories of nom’ing pork floss around Chinese New Year- my grandma used to make batches and give them to relatives and neighbors! Will be passing this to my mum so she can give it a shot making it once my competition and crazy diet plan is over 😉
OMG I so want to get the recipe. My aunt made a really good pork floss but it took her so many hours before it dry. I remembered a long wait (to steal from the wok) but I don’t have her recipe!
Oh that sounds SOOOO yummy! If I can source the ingredients, I think these will go on my ever-lengthening list of little nibbley things to make my husband for his birthday. Thanks so much for the recipe! Vohn x
Sounds interesting! How very creative of you!
🙂 The pork floss and nam-prik-pao combination are the common pair in Thailand though. I only put them together in the shortbread.
Aroy maak maak!! I hope anyway. I’m always looking for new recipes to try and if I can throw some Thai into them: even better! First time I ever tried ‘string pork’ as I called it, I thought I was eating actual string! One of the things I miss a lot now I’m back in the UK. 🙂
Great thing to take your time away from your projects and reading for exams, right…hehe…Then when you finish, you will have something to munch on while you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO get back to your study!…good luck…I’m sure you will be fine 😉
Your writing style is so entertaining you actually succeeded in making me want to try Pork Floss Shortbread. Just eating, though, not cooking — I’m too lazy! I traditionally would rather read cookbooks than cook out of them — I’m silly that way.
lol…get your daughter to do it 😉 Tell her it’s a mommy-daughter bonding thing and even let her bring a few home…hehehe…I wish I live close by you though. I can bring some by.
I would love it if you brought me some and we could have tea together, especially since I have no daughters. A son who lives far away … he’d like these, I think. 🙂
This sounds great, and I am sure that the local Asian market carries all those ingredients (since it is run by people from a couple locations in Indochina). Putting it on my “to try” list!
It’s so dangerously addictive…I’m warning you 🙂
BTW: I don’t want to comment on your Tom Kha Lobster post but since you are going to find the nam-prik-pao anyway so, take a look at this Tom Kha recipe http://www.highheelgourmet.com/2012/02/16/tomkha-lobster/. You might want to try it with fresh galangal and not the ground up one. It’s more full flavor when you can slice the fresh (or frozen) root and add to the soup. Lime juice and nam-prik-pao will make it really rich and yummy. I hope you wouldn’t mind that I’m sometime acting like a Thai food police. Sorry about that…I couldn’t help this bad habit. 🙁
Whether I make this or not … there was a lot of information here and I LOVED learning about the different foods…great post.
And the posting in Thai … whether one learns the langauge or not …tis a beautiful writing to look at. I found myself mesmerized for a bit as I read the English…then let my eyes roam over the Thai writing. It was sort of like word dessert it was *smiles*
🙂 I’m glad you think so. We’re really like the Roman alphabets because they don’t come with “head”, the round circle part at the beginning of the Thai alphabets, and wondering what the Westerners would have thought of ours since Roman alphabet are so clean looking.
Brilliant unconventional blending of pork and cookie…No doubt its a big hit and wish I had some to try…A long while ago my friend Samkiat would go to the Thai grocer with me and explain what many of the proucts were but I on’t remember seeing Pork Floss…great post, thank you
The pork floss or pork fu is actually Chinese. Even in Thailand back in the day when I grew up (hahaha quite sooooome time ago), we have to go to Chinatown to get them but they are available all over now. You should be able to get them easily from Chinese groceries store. I’m sure Khun SomKiat can help you with Nam-Prik-Pao too.
BTW I surprisingly enjoy reading your blog. You know with that white types on black and all and I’m still READING them…OMG are you blogging for the “under forties” people? Because my eyes were all watery after I finished 4-5 posted (I told you I love them, right.)…sight…fine! subscribing, following and hope to read them on the wordpress’ reader next time…hehehe.
Thank you, I get to Cinatown as often as I can, I am a huge sucker for the steamed pork rolls and the Liche tea. Unfortunately SomKiat (Sam) is no longer around but when I wa cheffing my specialty was pan global fusion an the Pacific Rim was of particular interest to me. as for my blogging you are very very sweet an your kin wors mean so much. Blogging is new, I always wante to write and some excerpts are from my working novel about growing up in the 60’s and 70’s. I love your attitue and your willingness to think outside the box…I look forward to sharing many stories..Peace
These look amazing! They remind me of the pork crackling cookies my Grandma used to make (which I love). Minus the chili paste of course.
Pork floss? I’ll check it out in Chinatown in London. I’d like to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
I had just come around to respond to the comments and found yours (as always, you know)…did you find some pork floss? I know there are a lot there in London. If you have a chance, eat the roast duck at the “Four Seasons” restaurant in London Chinatown for me too. I miss that!
Thanks for the suggestion. Whereabouts is that?
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Wonderful savory complement to the normal sweet shortbread. These I will certainly give a try. I’ve used ‘pork fu’ in a savory cheese biscut Yum! Use to get it at the wonderful Asian markets in SFO.
Cheers,
Mona
P.S. Thanks for stopping by by blog.Such a great complement.
These look so amazing. Never heard of pork floss. What an education.
I LOVE PORK SUNG! It’s so good, I like to eat it with rice porridge. This is a really creative shortbread – nice job!
I love short bread. Though I have only had it sweet, not with meat in it. The Mexican culture also has some dishes with pork floss in it. I love your last image in your post. Very well done!!
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Chef Randall
I love pork floss and I think the Thais have perfected pork floss on rice crackers, wafers, biscuits and pastry into some of the most wonderful snacks I have tried! I have never had pork floss on a short bread before but I can imagine the buttery goodness mingling with all that juicy floss and that dollop of Nam Prik Pao. This is fusion at its best! Thanks Miranti. More please!! Sharon
🙂 I grew up eating pork floss as snack all the times until I don’t think that a household without pork floss is even possible. I think Malaysian use it a lot too. I saw it showed up on top of noodle dishes before.
Wow. The pictures just keep getting better and better :). As a big fan of food, thanks for the nicely detailed blogs. I can almost taste the dishes just looking at the posts :)!
Looks delicious. I will have to substitute rice flour, but I think it will work. Yummy.
I would do half almond flour half rice flour instead of whole rice flour. Can you eat almond? If it is all rice flour, I’m afraid it might be too tough.
yes, I can eat the almond flour. Thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely try it. Can’t wait.
hahaha.. i’m a pork floss fans! – just a thought in idea – maybe to have extra pork floss in the “well” inside the dough – that brings a very very strong pork floss flavour 🙂 hahah. suitable for people like me :))
lol…you can add more pork floss 2.5 times of the recipe in the shortbread itself. The nam-phrik-pao has such a strong flavor too. It is really a great combination and Thai people love this combination almost like ham and cheese here…You should try brush nam-phrik-pao on the bottom of your egg tart dough recipe (before bake) and add pork floss inside…yummy.
Have to try your recipe for those delicious treats.*_*
Try it, take a picture and post your picture on my Facebook page. So I can see how it comes out. http://www.facebook.com/highheelgourmet
Yes for sure will do in the weeks to come..make sure to head over to my sunday post and enter my giveaway contest of the month, you only need to make comments on the same page anout any of my meals i have cooked.*_*
I did 😉
Ok thanks a bunch*_*
These were great. I made them tonight and everyone loved them. I added a bit more p
These were great. I made them tonight and everyone loved them. I added a bit more pork sung and brushed the shortbread with egg whites before adding the nam prik pao so they would be shiny. Thanks for the recipe!
Egg white! That’s clever. I will try that next time…thanks
These were great. I made them tonight and everyone loved them. I added a bit more pork sung and brushed the shortbread with egg whites before adding the nam prik pao so they would be shiny. Thanks for the recipe!
Egg white! That’s clever. I will try that next time…thanks