When I first moved to Thailand, before I spoke Thai, my Thai friends were always telling me to try “Khao Moo Daeng” as they were sure I would love it. Not having a clue what Khao Moo Daeng was, I gave it a miss for a fair few weeks until one Thai friend took me to her favorite food stall and made me eat it. Since then, I’ve been addicted.
In fact, Khao Moo Daeng is nothing more than roasted or barbecued red pork that’s served over rice, with a red sauce but, as it’s one of Thailand’s most popular dishes, you can find it almost anywhere.
A typical dish of Khao Moo Daeng is a plate of rice with several slices of roasted red pork placed on top. Next, you get a few bits of crispy pork belly (really delicious!), half a boiled egg (I always get a full boiled egg as I love Thai eggs so much), and some slices of Chinese sausage. Most stalls and restaurants will also serve a few slices of cucumber with it. The meat then has a thick, rich sweet pork sauce poured over it and it’s served. The tastiest thing you could ever possibly eat.
At most Thai food stalls, you’ll pay between 35-45 baht ($1.13 to $1.48) for a plate of Khao Moo Daeng. So, it’s also one of the cheapest things you can eat in Thailand.
The best places to find the dish are at one of Thailand’s millions of street stalls and, in particular, stalls that specialize in just this one dish.
