300 grams of pork, free of fat, minced, rolled into a big ball, poached in the padek liquid until cooked, and then taken out of the pot and finely pounded

400 grams of pa nang (a catfish) or pa ked (any fish with scales)

1 kilo of pork bones (to make pork broth)

10 thin slices of galingale

10 straight - bulbed spring onions, both heads and leaves (salt)

Put 2 metal jugfuls (2 pints) of water in a pot, and put the pot on the fire. Put in the pork, the fish, the galingale, spring onions and salt. Boil until the fish is cooked. Take it out, debone it and pound the flesh finely.

Further ingredients and preparation of them

15 (small) heads of garlic, the cloves to be peeled and finely chopped, then fried in pork fat until golden, and pounded

15 (small) shallots, (peeled and) thinly sliced, fried until golden in pork fat and then pounded

3 fully grown coconuts, husked and split open-grate the meat with a ka-tai ('rabbit'), put the extraction of coconut milk into a pot and boil it until the liquid is reduced, but without letting the cream separate, then take the pot off the fire

6 red chilli peppers, grilled until they are soft-then remove the cores and pound the peppers as finely as possible before cooking them in coconut oil until a good aroma arises - do not let the mixture become overcooked or it will turn black (instead of red)

salt and ground pepper

chopped coriander leaves

lime (juice, to taste)

vegetables to be eaten with the dish:

banana 'flower' sliced into long slices

7 sweet young eggplants, sliced and fried in pork fat

1 bunch of water spinach (phak bong), fried until done and then cut into pieces about 3 cm long

13 yard-long beans, fried and cut into pieces 3 cm long

6 dried chilli peppers, fried in pork fat until soft 2 na of rice vermicelli (cooked)

Method

Put the minced pork, the prepared fish, the pounded spring onions and the garlic in a mixing-bowl. Add the padek sauce, previously prepared, and stir until these ingredients are mixed together, then add the pork broth and the (reduced) coconut milk. Stir, taste and check the saltiness. Squeeze in some lime juice. Add the fried mixture of red chilli peppers. Transfer this whole mixture to a big bowl. Garnish with ground black pepper and chopped coriander leaves. (The sauce is now ready.)

Put the rice vermicelli on a platter, in the middle. Arrange the cut-up vegetables around it, and place the whole fried chilli peppers on top. Serve the sauce separately.