By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 12, 2026
Serves 4
612 cal · 45 min
Gaeng Om: Thai Herbed Pork and Vegetables
Recipe GLPR0c28a4ee65aa13
A fragrant Thai herbal curry featuring tender cooked pork belly simmered with aromatic seasonings and fresh vegetables. This rustic gaeng om combines a flavorful spice paste of lemongrass, chilies, garlic, and ginger with eggplant and squash in a savory broth, finished with fresh Thai basil and scallions.
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Ingredients
3 bird's eye chilies, chopped
2 tablespoons cooking oil
3 cups eggplant wedges
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 knob fresh ginger, minced
2 stalks lemongrass, finely sliced
4 to 6 cups meat broth
Fish sauce, to taste
½ kilogram cooked pork belly, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 shallots, finely sliced
3 cups cubed squash
A handful fresh Thai basil leaves
Sliced scallions, for garnish
Directions
Combine the chopped bird's eye chilies, minced garlic, minced ginger, and finely sliced lemongrass in a mortar and pestle. Pound the mixture until it forms a coarse or smooth paste, depending on your preferred texture.
Heat the cooking oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium heat.
Reduce heat to medium-low and add the spice paste to the hot oil. Add a splash of fish sauce and sauté, stirring frequently, until the paste darkens and becomes fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sliced shallots and continue sautéing for 1 minute until softened.
Add the cooked pork belly pieces to the pot and stir well to coat all the meat with the aromatic spice paste.
Pour in the meat broth and season with fish sauce to your taste. Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add the cubed squash to the pot and allow the liquid to return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the eggplant wedges and Thai basil leaves to the pot. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning with additional fish sauce if needed. Simmer uncovered for 7 to 10 minutes until both the eggplant and squash are tender.
Sprinkle the sliced scallions over the curry just before serving. Ladle into bowls and serve hot.
Comments
Gaeng Om works for a weeknight if you're willing to budget a stop at Harris Teeter or Kroger for Thai basil, lemongrass, and bird's eye chilis—ingredients unavailable at Food Lion, ALDI, or Walmart in Charlotte. The pork belly and broth-based curry keep the per-serving cost reasonable once you have the aromatics, roughly $3.50 per person. The 45-minute claim is honest for simmering but glosses over 15 minutes of mincing and prep; call it an hour start to finish. Leftovers reheat well, making it suited to batch cooking, though the fresh Thai basil loses vibrancy after a day.
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