You know that crunchy rice when you order a clay pot dish at your favourite asian restaurant? The dish comes out and they tell you to wait 5 minutes so the rice has a chance to crisp up on the bottom and the sides. Then you find yourself eating just a little and then by the time the rice is perfect you have eaten it all and you slowly scream in your head “Whyyyyyyyyyyy?” No? Hmm ok I am perhaps a bit impatient when it comes to food sometimes. Like this one time I ate half a tray of my aunts brown sugar glazed sweet potatoes for Christmas (It is arguably one of my favourite home cooked item) but that is neither here nor there. And beside, who are you to judge you have never tasted them and if you did, you might understand a little more. And really, it was my aunts fault, she should have never left me in charge of baking them … alone … in the downstairs oven … unsupervised. At least she was wise enough to make two trays so I guess she might have had a sneaky suspicion that something of this nature was going to take place. The only downside was that there were no leftovers
Anyways, back to the oh so delicious crispy rice. This Lao / Vietnamese / Thai salad (Im not really sure where it came from) has all the goodness of those crispy rice bits with the addition of it also being somewhat like an Italian Arincini. And lets face it, Arinicini is like a little gift from the heavens.
The Nem Chua, or fermented pork sausage, has such a distinct flavour and is what gives this salad such a unique taste. If you live in a big city or have lots of asian markets around you then you will be able to find the Men Chua and if not I am really not sure what would be a proper substitute. If you cant find it you can always try your hand at making it. There are lots of good videos on youtube and if you buy the Nam Powder (a package that contains nitrates and salt to cure the pork) then it only takes 24 hours.
This Crispy Rice salad is easy to put together, has that ever so addicting sweet and sour dressing and goes really well with a few ice cold beers. But then again, I think there are few dishes that don’t go well with cold beers.
Notes:
1)Here are a few variations to try …
-Mix some ground pork in the rice
-Try traditional style where shredded coconut is put in the rice
-The thai way is to mix the rice with red curry paste
-Add kaffir life leaf and lemongrass to the rice for more of a herb flavour
2) Serve with fresh cabbage and lettuce to make wraps
- 2 Cups Jasmine Rice, Cooked and cooled
- 4 tsp Red Curry Paste
- 4 tsp Coriander, Garlic and Peppercorn Blend (See Note)
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 10 Tbl Flour
- 2 Kaffir Lime Leaf (Julienne)
- 2 Fermented Sausage – Nem Chua
- 2inch piece of Ginger (Julienne)
- 6 Shallots (Sliced)
- 4 Tbl Roasted Peanuts
- 6 Fried Small Hot Chili
- 4 Spring Onions, Sliced
- Coriander Sprigs
- Lime Dressing (Recipe Below)
- Oil to deep-fry
- Fresh herbs and vegetables to serve
- In a mixing bowl, add the rice, red curry paste, egg and coriander mixture. Shape the rice into 2 inch balls.
- Peel the ginger and shallots and slice in thin strips. Slice the spring onions into 1 inch pieces and julienne the kaffir lime leaf. Set aside
- In a clean bowl, add 5 tablespoons of flour and enough water to make a batter. You want it the consistency of a thick pancake batter.
- Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy duty pan or wok until it reaches 350 degrees. When at temperate, dip the rice balls into the flour batter and drop into the oil. Deep fry until golden brown then remove onto a plate lined with paper towels. Cool slightly
- Once the rice balls are cooked, add the small hot chilies and quickly fry for roughly 15 – 30 seconds, just to give them a nice crispness. Drain on paper towels
- Now lets start to assemble the salad. In a large bowl add the remaining ingredients breaking up the fermented sausage if using.
- Next, add the rice balls, slightly breaking it up with your hands.
- Toss with the dressing and serve with fresh herbs and vegetables
- -Note: To make coriander blend, combine 1 coriander root, 5 black peppercorns and 1 garlic clove in a mortal and pestle. Mash until you get a fine paste
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