Mom’s Timeless Shine ✨ | Sweet Pork Bite (หมูคำหวาน) & Her Quiet Love 💛🌼🌙 #gjwmothersday2025 #momrecipe

When I think of my mom's cooking, this dish always comes to mind. She used to wake up so early, before 5.30am, just to make sure I had my lunch box before she went to work. In Bangkok, if you leave after 6.30am, you'll be stuck in traffic for hours. You might not reach work until 10am. So my mom had to be quick. Even then, she always made time to cook for me. If we had a maid, she would teach them how to cook it. But it never tasted the same. Today, I want to show you my mom's version of a dish that I later found out is actually a restaurant favorite in Thailand. It's called Moo Kam Wan. Literally, sweet pork bite. Back in my teen years, we'd always order it when eating out. It often comes with chilled Chinese broccoli stems or Kan Kana. But my mom's version is simpler. Just the essentials, made with love. Let's get started. First, pick pork with not too much fat. I usually poke it with a knife or a fork so it cooks more evenly and quickly. Then, add some spring onion to add some taste while steaming. Then, steam the pork. Simple as that. While the pork is steaming, we make the sauce. This is what gives the dish its punch. Spicy, salty, sour and sweet, just like Thai food should be. Start with chopped chili. If you use the small one, it's pretty new. If you want serious heat, I like to use a big chili as it's not too spicy and it has a very good aroma. Or pretty far. Then, add coriander. You can also add fine chopped red Thai or Vietnamese shallots. But I don't have it today. Then, squeeze in lime or lemon. Today, I only have lemon, so that will do. And then, some sugar to balance it all out. And finally, fish sauce. Make sure it's clean premium fish sauce. It really matters here. Stir it well. And that's your sauce. Let's check on the pork. You want to make sure all the pink is gone. It's not like beef. This needs to be fully cooked but not overdone. Mine still needs a bit more time, so let's put it back in. In the meantime, set the table or prepare your lunchbox. Once the pork is done, white all the way through, it's ready to slice. Slice it how you like it. I prefer thinner pieces because they hold more delicious sauce. And now, plating time. My go-to side, tomato with a little salt. My mom used to say eating tomatoes would make my cheek pink, so she packed them in the box for me. Maybe that's why I still love them until today. Tomato with salt is a go-to snack for me. And there you have it, Moo Kam Wan, my mom's version. It tastes just like I remembered. A simple dish, full of love, made in the early hours of the morning before the city even wakes up. This is my mom's timeless shine. This is the version for my husband. The pork juice, put it in there. And then soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil. A little bit of sesame oil. Chinese version. Now adapted, not mom's. Sesame oil. How is it? Good. Yummy? It is nice. Now that she's older and can't really look after herself anymore, I live too far away to be there every day, but I still remember the dish and how she made it with so much care. Even on the busiest morning, there are a few more dishes that were her favorite. Pad Stor and Kaeng Pla Som, a sour fish curry from her own childhood, and Stor is the famous southern food. She used to crave them when she wasn't feeling well. She always wanted to teach me how to make it, but bad daughter as I am, I never learned. One day I will learn how to make the dishes properly, and when I go home next time, I will make them for her. What dish reminds you of your mom? Let me know in the comments. Happy Mother's Day!