Snacks & Kuih · Thailand

How Many Calories in Moo Ping?

Also known as หมูปิ้ง, Moo Bing, Thai Grilled Pork Skewers, Mu Ping.

Thin slices of pork shoulder marinated in coconut milk, palm sugar, garlic, coriander root and soy, threaded on bamboo and grilled over charcoal. Sold at every morning market and BTS station exit, 10 baht a stick.

130kcal / 1 skewer
One skewer of moo ping is about 130 calories for roughly 35g of pork, per foodmany.com. The classic breakfast of two skewers plus a small bag of sticky rice is about 430 calories. The pork is fattier than it looks because the marinade uses coconut milk and the cut is shoulder with fat left on.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 skewer (35g)AmountPer 100g
Calories130 kcal371 kcal
Protein8 g23 g
Carbs5 g14 g
Fat9 g26 g

Where the calories come from

Pork shoulder slices30g
85 kcal
Coconut milk, palm sugar, soy marinade5g
25 kcal
Oil and coconut milk brushed while grilling2g
20 kcal

The real talk

Moo ping is small, so it feels harmless, and at 130 calories per stick one or two is fine. The trouble is the maths of a 10 baht stick: five sticks is 50 baht and 650 calories, which is a full meal eaten standing up at a bus stop. Most of the calories are fat, because moo ping is made from pork shoulder or neck with the fat kept on for tenderness, then brushed with coconut milk while it grills.

The marinade also has sugar. Palm sugar and sweet soy are why the edges caramelise, and there is about 4 to 5g of sugar per stick. Not a lot on its own, but it is why moo ping tastes sweet and why you can eat six without thinking. The charcoal grill drips some fat off, which is the one thing working in your favour.

The sticky rice is the other half of the breakfast. A small 100g bag is about 170 calories, a regular 150g bag is 260. Two moo ping and a small bag is 430 calories with 16g of protein, which is a perfectly reasonable breakfast. Four moo ping and a big bag is 780, which is not.

How many calories in 2, 3 or 4 skewers?

How manyCaloriesProtein
1 skewer130 kcal8 g
2 skewers260 kcal16 g
3 skewers390 kcal24 g
4 skewers520 kcal32 g
5 skewers650 kcal40 g
6 skewers780 kcal48 g

How the portions compare

130 kcal
1 skewer
430 kcal
2 skewers with small sticky rice
650 kcal
5 skewers

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in moo ping with sticky rice?
Two skewers (260) with a 100g bag of sticky rice (170) is about 430 calories. With a regular 150g bag it is around 520.
Is moo ping healthy?
It is a reasonable protein snack at 130 calories and 8g of protein a stick. The fat is 9g a stick, so it stops being reasonable somewhere around stick four.
Moo ping vs satay, which is lighter?
Satay. A chicken satay stick is about 50 calories because it is smaller and made from lean meat. Moo ping is bigger, fattier and glazed with coconut milk, so 130 per stick.

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical street stall or food court serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

Calorie figure based on foodmany.com: moo ping 1 skewer = 130 kcal; kindeediet.com lists moo yang 1 skewer = 125 kcal. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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