Grilled pork, sliced thin, dressed with the same components as larb (Entry TH-12): fish sauce, lime juice, toasted rice powder, dried chilli flakes, shallots, mint, and coriander. Nahm tok (literally 'waterfall') refers to the juices that flow from the grilled pork as it is sliced — the fat and juices of the grilled meat becoming part of the dressing. Where larb uses poached, minced meat, nahm tok uses grilled, sliced meat — the Maillard caramelisation of the grilled surface providing depth that the poached protein cannot. The technique is identical to larb; the different character comes entirely from the grilling.
**The pork:** - Pork neck (kaw mu): the preferred cut for grilling in Thai and Isaan cooking — its generous intramuscular fat prevents drying during grilling and provides the 'waterfall' of juices and fat when sliced. - Marinated briefly: coriander root, garlic, fish sauce, white pepper. - Grilled over medium-high charcoal until the exterior is caramelised and slightly charred in places while the interior is just cooked through. **The slicing and dressing:** - Slice the rested grilled pork into thin pieces — 5mm against the grain. The residual heat in the meat is the heat that will be present when the dressing is added. - Dress immediately while warm — the same principle as larb and yam nua (Entry TH-22). - The pork's dripping fat and juices are collected and included in the dressing — they are part of the preparation, not discarded.
David Thompson, *Thai Food* (2002); *Thai Street Food* (2010)