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1
Mash the red fermented tofu to a smooth paste before combining it with the light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and five-spice powder, so the paste blends into a uniform marinade with no lumps that would leave uneven colour on the pork. Coat the pork strips thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight — the longer rest allows the salt and fermented tofu to work into the centre of the meat, not merely its surface. The marinade is ready when the paste clings evenly and the pork has taken on a deep brick-red colour.
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2
Remove the pork from the marinade and place it on a rack set over a roasting tray so heat can circulate underneath and fat drips away rather than steaming the meat. Roast at 200 °C for 25 minutes, turning once at the halfway point; the surface should be drying and beginning to caramelise. Brush generously with honey, raise the oven to 220 °C, and roast for a further 5 minutes — this is where the dish lives or dies: the surface must reach a lacquered, caramelised finish, deep red-brown and slightly glossy with charred edges at the thinnest points, and a pale, matt surface means the heat or the final glaze has been insufficient. Remove and rest before slicing.
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3
Poach the chicken pieces in lightly salted water, keeping the water at a gentle simmer with no rolling boil, so the flesh stays tender and does not tighten into a dry, stringy texture. Cook until the juices run clear when the thickest part is pierced. Remove, rest briefly so the juices redistribute before you cut, then slice or pull from the bone.
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4
For the nam chup, bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a saucepan and add the oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar, stirring to combine. Pour in the cornstarch slurry in a thin, steady stream rather than all at once, so you can stop the moment the gravy reaches the right body without it seizing into thick lumps. The gravy is done when it coats the back of a spoon and holds a clear line drawn through it.
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5
Plate the jasmine rice loose and fragrant — not compressed, which would mat the grains and make the base heavy — into four bowls or plates. Arrange sliced moo daeng, a portion of moo krob, and sliced poached chicken over the rice, then add sliced cucumber to the side. Spoon the warm nam chup over the meat immediately before serving, so the gravy stays glossy and does not soak in and dull; every component must be freshly cut and plated to order, and the dish is served hot.