Khao Yam Pak Thai - Rice Salad Recipe

Khao Yam Pak Thai - Rice Salad Recipe

520 g room-temperature cooked rice (made using 2 cups raw long-grain

  fragrant rice)

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

100 g freshly grated or desiccated coconut, toasted in wok until golden brown, cooled

125 g shredded pomelo or grapefruit segments (juice drained off if using grapefruit)

100 g bean sprouts, straggly tails removed

2 eggs, lightly beaten and cooked to make 2 thin omelets, shredded

35 g dried shrimps, soaked in hot water to soften, drained and minced

100 g thinly sliced young long beans (snake beans) or green beans

100 g finely diced cucumber

4 stems lemon grass, tender inner part of bottom 3-in only, very thinly sliced

1 tablespoon minced red or green bird's eye chili

½ cup loosely packed coriander (cilantro) leaves

2 large calamansi, halved

2 kaffir lime leaves, cut in hair-like shreds

Sauce:

2 tablespoons preserved salted fish or 3 tablespoons canned anchovies

2 tablespoons ground palm sugar

2 tablespoons ground galangal

4 shallots, peeled and finely minced

1 stem lemon grass, tender inner part of bottom 3-in only, thinly sliced

2 kaffir lime leaves, torn

2 teaspoons dark soy sauce

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1 cup (250 ml) water

Method:

To prepare the sauce, put all the ingredients in a small saucepan, and bring to the boil, stirring.  Lower the heat and simmer very gently, with the pan uncovered, until the liquid is reduced by half, 10 to 15 minutes.  Pour through a sieve into a small bowl, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract as much juice as possible.  Leave the liquid to cool, discarding the solids.  You can either arrange the rice in the center of one large serving plate, putting all the other ingredients around it, or you can prepare individual servings.  To do the latter, lightly grease a small bowl with oil.  Add 1 cup rice, pressing down to make grains adhere, then invert the bowl over a plate.  Repeat, putting each portion of rice on a separate plate.  Put small piles of pomelo, bean sprouts, omelet, dried shrimps, snake beans, cucumber, lemon grass, bird's eye chili, and coriander (cilantro) leaves around each rice mound.  Add 1 calamansi (halved) to each plate and top the rice with kaffir lime shreds.

Divide the sauce between four small sauce dishes and serve with the salad for everyone to drizzle over according to taste.  The garnish ingredients are normally mixed through the rice just before eating.