Tom Saab Moo

Step 1

Peel away the outer 2–3 papery layers of the lemongrass stalk by hand and discard them, leaving the pale, tender inner part.

Step 2

Place the lemongrass stalk on a cutting board and slice it crosswise into thin rings about the width of a pencil eraser, from the bottom to where it becomes too hard to cut.

Step 3

Cut the fresh red chili lengthwise in half to open it, then slice it crosswise into thin rings about the width of a coin, removing seeds if you want less heat.

Step 4

Place a 3-quart pot over medium-high heat, add the ground pork, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, breaking it into small crumbles about the size of peas, until no pink remains, about 4 minutes.

Step 5

Add the curry paste to the cooked pork and stir constantly for 1 minute until the mixture smells fragrant and the paste coats all the meat.

Step 6

Pour in the stock slowly while stirring, ensuring no lumps of curry paste remain at the bottom of the pot.

Step 7

Add the lemongrass rings and bring the soup to a gentle boil over medium-high heat—you'll see large bubbles breaking the surface.

Step 8

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lemongrass has softened and infused the broth with flavor.

Step 9

Remove the pot from heat, stir in the fish sauce and lime juice, and taste the broth—it should be equally sour, salty, and aromatic.

Step 10

Ladle the soup into two bowls, dividing the pork and lemongrass evenly between them.

Step 11

Scatter the fresh basil leaves and sliced chili rings evenly over the surface of each bowl.