Khao Yam Pak - Thai Rice Salad

Khao yam, Thai rice ’salad’, isn’t exactly spicy, but the abundance of thinly-sliced fresh herbs certainly stands in contrast to a bowl of oatmeal or rice porridge. This dish is typically served slightly warm as a wonderful breakfast, particularly when coupled with a glass of sweet Muslim-style tea.

Yield:

Serves 4

Ingredients

1. 520 g room-temperature cooked rice (made using 2 cups raw long-grain fragrant rice)
2. 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3. 100 g freshly grated or desiccated coconut, toasted in wok until golden brown, cooled
4. 125 g shredded pomelo or grapefruit segments (juice drained off if using grapefruit)
5. 100 g bean sprouts, straggly tails removed
6. 2 eggs, lightly beaten and cooked to make 2 thin omelets, shredded
7. 35 g dried shrimps, soaked in hot water to soften, drained and minced
8. 100 g thinly sliced young long beans (snake beans) or green beans
9. 100 g finely diced cucumber
10. 4 stems lemon grass, tender inner part of bottom 3-in only, very thinly sliced
11. 1 tablespoon minced red or green bird's eye chili
12. ½ cup loosely packed coriander (cilantro) leaves
13. 2 large calamansi, halved
14. 2 kaffir lime leaves, cut in hair-like shreds
15. .
16. For the sauce:
17. =============
18. 2 tablespoons preserved salted fish or 3 tablespoons canned anchovies
19. 2 tablespoons ground palm sugar
20. 2 tablespoons ground galangal
21. 4 shallots, peeled and finely minced
22. 1 stem lemon grass, tender inner part of bottom 3-in only, thinly sliced
23. 2 kaffir lime leaves, torn
24. 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
25. 1 teaspoon fish sauce
26. 1 cup (250 ml) water

Directions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

Notes