Step 1

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.

Step 2

Reduce ½ cup coconut milk in a pot over medium heat until very thick.

Step 3

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.

Step 4

Add the remaining coconut milk, fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarind and bring it to a simmer.

Step 5

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.

Step 6

Stir the peanut mixture into the sauce and let it simmer gently for 20 minutes to allow the flavours to fully develop.

Step 7

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.

Step 8

Blanch the vegetables: bring a large pot of water to a boil and drizzle a little neutral flavoured oil into the water.

Step 9

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.

Step 10

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.

Step 11

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!