Moo Ping is our favourite grilled pork dish from Thailand.
Moo Ping, also known as Thai Pork Skewers, is a traditional barbecued dish typically served by friendly street food vendors across Thailand. It can be enjoyed as a quick snack or as a larger meal with steamed rice or noodles and a fresh salad.
We’ve traveled extensively through Thailand and eaten at all of the best Thai restaurants in Toronto. We’ve taken Thai cooking classes in Chang Mai and learned expert cooking techniques courtesy of the executive chef at JW Marriott Phuket Resort.
Cooking Thai food at home is oh so satisfying! Our flavourful Moo Ping recipe takes under an hour to prepare and keeps in the fridge for several days.
You’ll love loitering over these spicy Thai Pork Skewers as lunch leftovers!
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What Is Moo Ping?
Thailand is perhaps most famous for its wide variety of popular street food dishes.
One of the most celebrated street foods in Thailand is Moo Ping (also written as mu ping), which translates to Thai Pork Skewers.
The dish is a mainstay at many street food / night markets in Thailand. You can often spot thousands of tiny skewers as they are flipped over hot coals, their sweet scent rising into the warm evening air.
A traditional Moo Ping recipe will be prepared with thin slices of fatty pork butt/shoulder. This particular cut of pork produces a tender and juicy grilled meat that is also flavourful thanks to its ample fat marbling. The meat chunks marinate in a decadent coconut cream sauce featuring garlic, cilantro, oyster sauce, soy sauce and cornstarch.
Thai Pork Skewers are beloved by locals and travelers alike as authentic recipes showcase sweet and salty flavours simultaneously. Sugar in the oyster sauce and soy sauce help the meat caramelize when placed over a flaming barbecue grill.
Traditionally, Thai Pork Skewers are cooked over hardwood charcoal grills on the street. We suggest firing up a charcoal grill to give the Moo Ping a more authentic, smoky flavour. If you’re cooking with a gas barbeque that’s fine they’ll still taste incredible!
Travel to Thailand by Cooking Moo Ping at Home
I love traveling through Asia. My first visit had me living in South Korea for a year as a teacher and it’s where I was first introduced to fermented vegetables like kimchi.
After my contract ended in Seoul I travelled throughout southeast Asia for 6 months, visiting the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.
On my first visit I spent over a month backpacking through Thailand. I’ve revisited Thailand two times since as a food and travel journalist and always love to discover new regional dishes. Over the years I’ve explored Thai destinations such as Ko Phi Phi, Krabi, Chiang Khong, Chang Mai, Sukothai and Bangkok.
What I found most fascinating is Thailand’s distinct regional food cultures. Much like the regional cuisines found in Germany, Italy or Spain, each town in Thailand had its own local speciality.
Street vendors across Thailand tend to stick to a similar Moo Ping recipe but you can find variations as you travel regionally that may include finely chopped lemongrass or spicy red chili.
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Where To Eat Moo Ping
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to a local Thai restaurant that serves traditional Moo Ping.
Haven’t traveled to Thailand before? It may be helpful to first sample Moo Ping at a local Thai restaurant to better understand how the dish is served. You can also assess ideal number of Thai Pork Skewers to serve each guest and complimentary side dishes to serve at the table.
I spent months researching the best Thai restaurants in Toronto, visiting popular restaurants that serve authentic Thai dishes such as Sabai Sabai, Sukothai, Khao San Road, Pai, Kiin, Bangkok Garden, Mengrai Thai and Favorites Thai BBQ. If you’re looking to sample traditional Moo Ping in Toronto try visiting one of these award-winning restaurants.
Health Benefits
Our Moo Ping recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
It is only recently that scientists have begun to identify the components responsible for garlic’s myriad health benefits. Rich in phytochemicals and potassium, garlic helps boost your immune system, fight cancer and protect your heart.
A good source of bone-strengthening vitamin K, cilantro is also rich in antioxidants that help protect the eyes from damage by free radicals.
Coconut is rich in fibre and may also offer a number of benefits including improved heart healthy and digestion. It is high in calories and sautéed fat so be sure to eat in moderation.
Pork is an excellent source of protein and provides several important vitamins and minerals. It’s an excellent source of thiamin, selenium, niacin, vitamin B-6 and phosphorus, zinc, riboflavin and potassium.
Nearly 50% of the people in the world get over 50% of their daily calories from rice. If eating brown rice featuring nutritious bran you’ll enjoy health benefits like cancer risk reduction and diabetes control.
Moo Ping Recipe Cooking Tips
This yummy homemade Moo Ping recipe is quick and easy to make at home.
- We suggest preparing Moo Ping over a charcoal grill or barbecue. Turn the heat up as high as possible to ensure the Thai Pork Skewers caramelize nicely.
- We’ve used coconut cream in the marinade but you can substitute for coconut milk for a lower calorie alternative.
- You can add additional sweetness to the sauce by mixing in a teaspoon of palm sugar to the marinade.
- Add additional Thai flavours to your Moo Ping recipe by adding a small amount of finely minced lime leaf, lemongrass or galangal.
- Soak the wooden skewers in a large water jug overnight to ensure they don’t break and splinter on the grill.
- If you like spicy food feel free to garnish the finished dish with finely chopped Thai red chili pepper.
What To Serve with Grilled Thai Pork Skewers
Moo Ping is typically enjoyed as a main dish, served alongside a fresh salad and steamed rice.
If you’re hosting a large Thai dinner party, we suggest serving homemadeGrilled Thai Pork Skewers buffet-style with other popular Thai dishes like:
- Spicy Thai Basil Fried Rice
- Yum Woon Sen Thai Glass Noodle Salad
- Creamy Red Thai Pork Curry
- Papaya Salad
- Grabong Thai Squash Fritters
- Beef and Pumpkin Curry
- Red Prawn Curry
- Pad Kra Pao
- Thai Red Curry Prawn Burger
- Thai Pork Rib Soup with Vermicelli Noodles
- Egg Tofu Soup with Pork Meatballs
- Gai Pad Med Mamuang Thai Cashew Chicken
- Authentic Massaman Curry
- Nam Tok Authentic Thai “Waterfall Beef” Salad
- Thai Green Curry Chicken
- Thai Pork & Beef Mince Curry Khua Kling
- Khai Jiao Thai Ground Chicken Omelet
- Khao Pad Sapparod Thai Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice
- Thai Red Curry Prawn Burger
- Chiang Mai Noodles Khao Soi
This Moo Ping recipe keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days so store it in an airtight container.
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- Southern Smoked Baked Beans with Bacon
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- Cheesy Bacon Air Fryer Potato Skins
- Köttbullar med Gräddsås Swedish Meatballs
- Smokey BBQ Bone In Air Fryer Pork Ribs
- Cilantro Ginger Lime Cajun Shrimp Salad
- Seasoned Air Fryer Bone In Pork Chops
- Speckknödel German Bread Bacon Dumplings
- German Pork Rouladen with Bacon, Apple & Pickles
- Singaporean Bak Chor Mee Minced Pork Noodle Soup
- Spicy Pork Bibimbap
- Polish Sour Rye Zurek Soup
- Cajun Louisiana Cream of Shrimp Soup
- Osaka Okonomiyaki Japanese Cabbage Pancake
- Vietnamese Grilled Pork “Bun Thit Nuong”
- Shrimp & Pork Vietnamese Egg Rolls
How To Make Moo Ping Grilled Thai Pork Skewers
Moo Ping Grilled Thai Pork Skewers
Equipment
- Barbecue
- Bamboo skewers
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- mixing bowl
- Food processor
- French knife
Ingredients
- 0.5 tsp White Peppercorns
- 3 tbsp Garlic cloves chopped
- 3 tbsp Cilantro roots chopped
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup Coconut cream
- 1/2 cup Oyster sauce
- 4 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 lb Boneless pork shoulder blade cut into 1/4 inch thick strips
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
Instructions
- In a food processor (or mortar and pestle), blitz white peppercorns into a powder. Add garlic, cilantro roots, and salt and blend until you achieve a smooth paste. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Add coconut cream, oyster sauce, and soy sauce. Mix well.
- Add the pork and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight. Also soak 12 bamboo skewers overnight.
- Remove marinated pork from the fridge, add cornstarch and stir to fully incorporate.
- Thread 4 pork slices onto one half of each skewer, pinching the meat in the middle as you push the skewer through the middle.
- Turn your barbecue on and ensure it is set to high heat. Brush the grill with coconut milk, which will prevent the pork from sticking to the grill.
- Place the pork skewers on the grill and cook until the meat begins to char, 8-10 minutes. Turn and brush the other side with coconut milk, cooking for another 5-6 minutes, or until a nice char appears.
- Serve Moo Ping hot with steamed rice.
Nutrition
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