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"Swimming Rama" is a dish that is becoming hard to find in Thailand, but is still served in many Thai restaurants overseas. Started by Chinese immigrants in Bangkok, swimming rama is made up of a bed of blanched morning glory or water spinach, topped with tender slices of pork or chicken, with a peanut sauce poured on top. In Thailand this is often served as a "single-dish meal," which means that all the good stuff gets poured over rice!
I have to admit that I'm making a bit of a luxurious version here (because I can!) with lots of coconut milk, herbs, and peanuts, so it's extra rich. If you get this on the streets of Thailand, the gravy may be diluted with stock, and then thickened with starch.
You CAN make this vegetarian friendly by omitting the meat altogether or substituting tofu or mushrooms for the meat. The sauce can be made far in advance and kept in the fridge for days, so this really can be a quick weeknight meal!
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"Swimming Rama" Thai Peanut Sauce w/ Spinach & Pork พระรามลงสรง
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 300g pork loin or chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoon oil
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- - 2 - 2½ tablespoon red curry paste
- 1½ cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon chopped palm sugar
- 1-2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2-3 tablespoon tamarind juice
- ⅓ cup roasted peanuts, unsalted (see note 1)
- 1 ½ tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds (see note 2)
- 1lb morning glory or spinach
- Optional condiment: Thai chili paste (see note 3)
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Instructions
Marinate the meat:
- In a bowl, toss the pork or chicken with fish sauce, water and oil. Add cornstarch and toss well to mix; let marinate for at least 20 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed into the meat.
Make the sauce:
- Reduce ½ cup coconut milk in a pot over medium heat until very thick.
- Add curry paste and stir to break it apart. If you have a hard time getting the curry paste clumps to loosen, you can add a splash of coconut milk to help it along. Keep stirring until coconut oil starts separating away from the paste and the paste is sizzling.
- Add the remaining coconut milk, fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarind and bring it to a simmer.
- Meanwhile, place the peanuts and sesame seeds into a food processor and blitz until they turn into a coarse meal. You can also pound them in a mortar and pestle.
- Stir the peanut mixture into the sauce and let it simmer gently for 20 minutes to allow the flavours to fully develop.
- Once the sauce is done simmering, you can add more water if the sauce is too thick. It should be rich but can still pour easily without being gloppy. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Assembly:
- Blanch the vegetables: bring a large pot of water to a boil and drizzle a little neutral flavoured oil into the water.
- Add the vegetables all at once into the water and let it cook for 10-15 seconds just until they wilt, then immediately fish them out using a big mesh skimmer (do not drain the water as you will need it to cook the meat). Shake as much of the water out of the vegetables as possible and place in to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
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Blanch the meat: If you have a big skimmer with large holes (similar to what I have in the video) place the meat into the skimmer and dunk it in the boiling water for 20-30 seconds, stirring it around to separate the pieces, then lift it out as soon as it’s cooked. Do not use a fine sieve for this as you want all the cornstarch bits to fall through. If you don’t have a skimmer, just dump the meat into the water, stir it around to separate the pieces, and when cooked drain into a colander.
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Place a portion of rice on the plate, then arrange the vegetables either on top or beside the rice. Place the meat on the veg, and pour the sauce over the meat. Serve with a dollop of chili paste if you'd like, and sprinkle a little extra sesame seeds or crushed peanuts on top if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- I highly recommend buying raw peanuts and roasting them yourself in the oven. It makes a big difference in the flavour. Simply spread them on a baking sheet and bake in a 350°F oven for 13-18 minutes (depending on the size of your peanuts). Stir them half-way through and watch them carefully towards the end cuz they burn quick!
- To toast raw sesame seeds, add them to a dry saute pan and move them around constantly over medium high heat until golden brown. Remove from pan immediately onto a plate to cool.
- I forgot to mention this in the video but some people like to serve a little dollop of Thai chili paste on the side for extra seasoning. I don't usually bother since I find this sauce is plenty flavourful on its own and I find the chili paste (at least the one I have at home) a bit overpowering, but I would encourage you to try it out to see if you like it. Or if you have another chili paste in the fridge you want to try it with, go for it!
Dan says
Delicious! Do you have a suggestion for a tamarind substitute if you can’t find it?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
A touch of vinegar or lime juice should do it. Use just a tablespoon to start.
Terri says
I had this dish for the first time while on vaca. It’s not offered at any of the local Thai restaurants. I made a few changes to make it vegan ( allergic to chicken). It’s was great! Thanks!
Henrik says
I do love this very much, it's like a more wintery version of salad kaeg. Just had it with tofu which works fine as I've explained above (or is it below).
Also had it with chicken twice. The first time as per the recipe but I found the meat too watery and bland. The second time around I just threw the meat into the sauce after about 15 minutes, after five minutes more it was nicely cooked. Why bother with the extra pot of boiling water just to water down your meat? (This may be a result of the street food origins of the dish, where this procedure might be the most practical.)
Made it with leafy spinach, as Morning glory is either not available or hideously expensive here. This is comfort food par excellence!
Malerie says
I would love to make this recipe! It seems authentic and I absolutely adore this dish. I have a few questions first: the palm sugar... is that just coconut sugar? It looked chunky in your video. Can brown sugar be a substitute?
Can I use tamarind powder instead?
rosalie says
I have made the recipe with brown sugar. It is less authentic but much easier for me to find. Still absolutely delicious.
Catherine says
What's the best way to substitute the pork for tofu?
Hendrik says
Marinade the tofu in some soy sauce for 15 minutes. Fry in a little oil and stand aside. When the sauce is ready, sprinkle the tofu over your greens and top with the sauce.
Jon says
How can you cook the meat in 30 seconds of blanching?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
If you thinly slice it as shown in the video, you absolutely can.
Alain Rostain says
Agree. 30 seconds can't be right, can it?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
I can confirm it is right. Make sure the meat is thinly sliced (as per video), water is fully boiling, and don't crowd the pot (if you make a large amount of meat in a small amount of water, the water temp will drop significantly and will take more time. So be sure to watch the video first to see how it's done. Try it, and time it for 30 seconds, and let me know how it goes!