Galloping Horses
Submitted by jimmee
Galloping horses (Ma Hor) is the classic Thai appetizer of sweet-savory ground pork and peanuts mounded on fresh pineapple. Sweet, salty, fragrant, with garlic-forward heat.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
20 minREADY
1 hrsGalloping Horses, or Ma Hor in Thai, is one of the great Thai royal court appetizers, traditionally served at the start of formal meals to wake up the palate. Sweet-salty caramelized ground pork and crushed peanuts crowned on slices of fresh pineapple give you four flavors and three textures in every two-bite serving.
The meat mixture is the soul of the dish. Eight cloves of garlic (yes, eight) cooked into ground pork with sugar develops a sweet caramel glaze that wraps the pork in candy-like flavor. Crushed peanuts mixed in at the end add nutty crunch that contrasts the soft meat.
The fruit base matters. Fresh pineapple is the traditional choice, its tropical sweetness and slight tang cutting through the rich pork, but mandarin or orange segments are the seasonal alternative when pineapple isn’t right.
Pro Tips
- Drain the pork fat almost completely after browning. Too much fat in the mix makes the topping greasy on the fruit.
- Cook the sugar-pork mixture longer than feels right, until the sugar caramelizes and coats the meat. Don’t pull at the first sign of stickiness.
- Cool the meat to room temperature before mounding on the fruit. Hot pork wilts the pineapple instantly.
- Cut the pineapple in ¼-inch slices, the right thickness to hold the topping without falling apart in your hand.
Variations
- Add 1 finely chopped fresh red chile and 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro to the meat for more authentic Thai aromatics.
- Substitute mandarin orange segments for pineapple for a sweeter, lighter finish.
- Top each piece with a single cilantro leaf and a thin slice of fresh chile for a beautiful presentation.
Ingredients
Directions
Grind peanuts.
Heat oil in a frying pan, add pork, garlic and onions.
Cook until pink color disappears.
Drain off most of the fat. Add sugar and pepper, cook 1 to 2 minutes.
Add peanuts, mix in well, then remove from heat.
Cool to room temperature.
Prepare platter, lining with lettuce leaves.
Peel and segment the citrus fruit if used, cutting each segment down to the back and fanning open to form a circle.
If using pineapple, cut off top leaves and outer skin, as thinly as possible, from top down.
Look at the “eye” pattern, as it forms a spiral down the pineapple.
Cut the spirals with a sharp knife held at about a 45 degree angle.
Cut off bottom. Cut pineapple into about 5 or 6 wedges and then cut each of those into ¼ inch slices.
Arrange fruit on platter.
Mound meat mixture onto fruit, and decorate with other garnishes.
Serve at room temperature, or chilled.
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