Crispy Rice Salad (Nam Khao)

Rice Balls

1. Add glutinous rice to a large bowl filled with water and leave to soak overnight.

2. The next day, pour rice into a sieve/colander and drain.

3. Rinse with fresh tap water.

4. Line a steamer basket with parchment paper and add in rinsed rice (no water).

5. Steam for 30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the ingredients for making the rice balls and place into a large mixing bowl.

7. After 30 minutes, remove the steamer and leave it to cool for 5-10 minutes on the bench top.

8. Remove the rice from the steamer and when cool enough to handle, mix all ingredients together in the bowl until everything is well combined.

9 Shape balls with your seasoned rice mix (larger than a golf ball but smaller than a tennis ball).

10. Deep fry rice balls until golden.

Set aside.

Dressing

1. Combine the lime juice and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar. 

2. Add in fish sauce and taste (You should be able to taste the sugar, lime and fish sauce but nothing should overwhelmingly stand out).

3, Keep adding fish sauce to the dressing until you achieve this balance.

4. Add water to thin out the dressing a little.

5. Add in garlic and chilli.

Assemble the Salad

1. Toast the glutinous rice grains in a dry skillet until golden.

2. Grind the toasted rice grains using a mortar and pestle to make the toasted rice powder. (The rice powder should not look like dust but needs to be fine enough to not resemble gritty sand.)

3. In a large mixing bowl, add salad ingredients.

4. Break up rice balls into big chunks and add into salad.

5. Pour in dressing and toss through.

6. Garnish serving platter with oak leaf lettuce leaves and serve. Best eaten immediately :)