Thai Pork Salad with Kelp Noodles

This Thai Pork Salad with Kelp Noodles is one of my go-to weeknight dinners! It’s packed full of flavor from a generous handfuls of fresh herbs, garlic, ginger, shallots, and the most delicious sauce made out of coconut aminos, fish sauce, and lime juice. Traditionally, you can serve this meat salad with cellophane noodles or in lettuce cups but we’re opting for kelp noodles and a few lettuce cups too for good measure.

Kelp noodles are a low carb alternative to regular noodles and boast some great healthy benefits such as being high in iodine, calcium, and iron. I love the crunchy texture but if you’d like them softer you can soak them in hot water instead of just rinsing them with cool water before serving.

Preparation time:

Hands-on:    10 minutes
Overall:     20 minutes

Nutritional values (per serving):

Total Carbs	14.5	grams
Fiber	5.2	grams
Net Carbs	9.3	grams
Protein	41	grams
Fat	55.3	grams
of which Saturated	23.7	grams
Energy	721	kcal
Magnesium	86	mg (22% RDA)
Potassium	1,013	mg (51% EMR)

Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (5%), protein (23%), fat (71%)

Ingredients (makes 2 servings):

• 1 tbsp fat of choice (virgin coconut oil, lard, tallow)
• 1 lb ground pork, 20% fat (450 g)
• large handful mixed minced herbs (Thai basil, mint, cilantro), (35 g/ 1.2 oz)
• 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, minced (10 g/ 0.4 oz)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (15 g/ 0.5 oz)
• 2 small shallots, thinly sliced (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp coconut aminos
• zest of 1 lime (about 1 tsp)
• juice of 1 lime (about 3 tbsp)
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp white pepper
• 1 bag kelp noodles (340 g/ 12 oz), rinsed according to the package directions
• lettuce cups, for serving (85 g/ 3 oz)

Instructions:

1. Heat the fat in a large skillet over high heat. Add in the pork and shallot, cook 6-8 minutes breaking the pork into small pieces with the back of a wooden spoon. Once the pork has browned mix together the minced garlic, minced ginger, ½ of the herbs, and green onions in a small bowl as well as the fish sauce, coconut aminos, lime juice and zest, red pepper flakes, and white pepper in another small bowl.
2. Add the herb mixture to the pan and cook 1 minute, add in the sauce and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining herbs. Taste for salt and add a pinch if necessary.
3. Serve the pork salad with the lettuce cups, ...
4. ... kelp noodles, and additional lime wedges.

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