Top mo chien mam is a crunchy snack, salty and sweet at once. What makes it good is a fish sauce glaze clinging tight to every piece. The hard part is rendering, because scorched fat turns the cracklings bitter and hard.
The fat is blanched in water simmered with shallot, ginger and vinegar, which takes the smell away completely. Render it over low heat, stirring constantly, and let the fat come out on its own.
This batch weighs about 306g, at roughly 102 calories per 100g.
Method
Rub the pork fat with 1 tablespoon vinegar for 5 to 10 minutes to take away the smell, rinse well and drain. Peel and mince the garlic.
Bring 100ml water to a boil with 3 shallots, 3 bruised slices of ginger and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Blanch the pork fat briefly in this water, rinse, drain very well and cut into 2 to 3cm cubes.
Heat a nonstick pan and add the fat, stirring constantly over low heat so it renders on its own. Once the pieces are evenly golden and crisp, lift them out and drain.
Mix a bowl of sauce with 2 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 teaspoon MSG and 2 tablespoons water, stirring until dissolved.
Leave about 1 tablespoon of rendered fat in the pan and fry the minced garlic until golden and fragrant.
Pour in the sauce and stir until it bubbles and thickens. Add the cracklings and toss for 2 to 3 minutes to coat, then turn off the heat.
Tips
Low heat and constant stirring render the fat into light, crisp pieces rather than scorching them.
Blanching the fat in water with shallot, ginger and vinegar clears the smell completely.
Cut the fat into even 2 to 3cm cubes, because mixed sizes leave some pieces scorched and others still chewy.
Exactly 1 tablespoon of rendered fat left in the pan is right, because more of it stops the sauce from clinging.
Toss the cracklings in the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes and stop there, as a longer stay softens them.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.