250px, Mu ping in Bangkok ''Mu ping'' (, ; , ; ) is a portion of street food in Thailand. It gained popularity in 1952, when food transport carts were redesigned and turned into street vendor carts. Mu ping can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Mu ping is a common food to find in the streets of Thailand that usually start to sell around 5 am–11 am. Mu Ping is eaten with sticky rice. The set of the meal comes as three skewers of Mu Ping and a package sticky rice. The price per stick is around 5 - 10 Baht depending on pork prices.

Ingredients

The ingredients needed to cook Mu ping are: * ''Pork'': The main meat of the dish. * '' Coriander roots'': Used to increase aroma and reduce meat odors. * ''

Black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...

'': Used to add the mild spiciness to the dish. * ''

Garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

'': Used to add sweetness and spiciness to the dish, also enhance aroma. * ''

Fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, L ...

'': Used to add saltiness to the dish. * ''

Palm sugar Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar may be qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed simila ...

'': Used to add sweetness to the dish. * ''

Soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...

'': Used as the main marinades for Mu ping Boran. * ''

Milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

'': Used as the main marinades for Mu ping nom sod. Some Mu Ping variations use coconut milk in the marinade to give meat an extra creamy and rich flavor

Preparation

There are 2 types of Mu ping currently in the market. Milk Grilled and Mu ping Boran. It can be found depending on the area but as of today, Milk Grilled is easier to find due to low cost and being more flavored.

Thai-style (Mu ping Boran)

This is the original type of Mu ping. It's purely red meat with fat on the bottom of the skewer or with no fat. The pork is marinated in the mixture of

coriander Coriander (), whose leaves are known as cilantro () in the U.S. and parts of Canada, and dhania in parts of South Asia and Africa, is an annual plant, annual herb (''Coriandrum sativum'') in the family Apiaceae. Most people perceive the ...

roots,

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

, and

soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...

as the main marinade. Fish sauce and sugar can be added up to the preferences. The marinating process takes around 20 minutes. Then grilled over a charcoal BBQ. This type of Mu ping is harder to find since the cost is higher because it is wholly pork with no other ingredients and the size is a lot smaller than Milk-grilled Mu ping.

Milk-Grilled (Mu ping nom sod)

This type of Mu ping is very common in the street. The pork is also marinated in the mixture of

roots,

, and milk as the main marinade instead. Fish sauce and sugar can be added up to the preferences. The milk is what caused the meat to be more tender and flavorful. The marinating process takes around 20 minutes. Then also grilled over a charcoal BBQ. Anyone can start selling Milk-Grilled Mu ping as the premade are sold at supermarkets or shopping malls. Customers can find more flavors to choose from depending on the seller. Both types of Mu ping are usually served with

sticky rice Sticky may refer to: Adhesion *Adhesion, the tendency of dissimilar particles or surfaces to cling to one another *Sticky mat, an adhesive mat used in cleanrooms to lessen contamination from footwear *Sticky note, a generic term for a Post-it Note ...

and sometimes Nam chim Chaeo. Which is a spicy sauce that complements grilled meat.

Nutrition

The nutrition gets from 1 skewer containing:

Protein

Containing amino acids, high-protein foods make you feel full. Thus, making it possible to consume food in reduced amounts in the long run. body weight will gradually decrease as well but consumers need to control carbohydrate intake properly.

Phosphorus

Phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol P and atomic number 15. All elemental forms of phosphorus are highly Reactivity (chemistry), reactive and are therefore never found in nature. They can nevertheless be prepared ar ...

can help promote healthy gums and teeth and helps in the growth repair of the worn parts of the body. It also helps relieve pain from arthritis and contributes to the process of fat and starch metabolism. Which makes the body more energetic.

Vitamin B1

Thiamine Thiamine, also known as thiamin and vitamin B1, is a vitamin – an Nutrient#Micronutrients, essential micronutrient for humans and animals. It is found in food and commercially synthesized to be a dietary supplement or medication. Phosp ...

or known as Vitamin B1 has the benefits of strengthening growth, digesting starchy foods as well maintain the nervous system, muscles, and heart to function normally.

Health

Mu ping is grilled meat, it has a group of chemicals called Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are also linked to

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

s. PAHs are produced during pyrolysis and incomplete burning of organic materials such as wood, coal, and oil. It will form when the meat juices drip onto the coals or other heating surfaces and flare up in flames and smoke. The grill rack used in the stove often has burned-up pieces that are stuck on the grill. Common grilling methods (using either charcoal or gas fuel) could produce PAHs in food and contamination has been reported in different food products such as cereals, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, oils, coffee, tea, and meat products. In comparison to gas grilling, charcoal grilling led to significantly higher contents of PAHs in all types of Skewer, which could be the result of incomplete charcoal burning.

References

{{Thai food Thai cuisine Street food in Thailand