When I was a vegetarian, I was for many years presented with variations on rice salad. However, they always seemed to miss the mark not just in taste but mostly in texture. I couldn’t get onboard, until I tried a Thai rice salad, where the rice is crisp (and often ground up). It’s a thing of pure joy, with crunchy textures, fresh flavours and the right amount of punch. Play around with the balance, adding more acidity, sweetness or spice to suit your palate. Just be sure to get some good colour on that rice.
Herby crispy rice, shallot and lemongrass salad
Prep 10 min
Soak 20 min (optional)
Cook 40 min, plus cooling
Serves 4
150g jasmine rice
1 stick lemongrass
Sea salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp fish sauce
1½ tbsp light soft brown sugar
2 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
2 red chillies, finely sliced
Juice of 2 limes
1-2 tbsp crisp chilli oil
½ bunch coriander, chopped
1 bunch mint, leaves picked and chopped
Wash the rice thoroughly in a sieve until the water runs clear; if you have the time, soak it in cold water for 20 minutes, too. Cut the lemongrass stalk into three, then crush in a mortar and put in a pan of salted water. Bring to a boil, add the rice and cook on a high heat for eight minutes, so it still has a little bite. Drain, then rinse with cold water to cool.
Finely grate or crush the garlic into a medium bowl. Whisk in two tablespoons of the vegetable oil, half the fish sauce and a tablespoon of the sugar. When the rice is cold, toss it through the dressing.
Put a large frying pan on a medium heat and spoon in the rice mixture, spreading it out evenly and really pressing it into the pan. Fry for about 10 minutes, turning sections of the rice over just once or twice, so it caramelises.
Meanwhile, put the sliced shallots and red chilli in a large bowl with the lime juice and the remaining fish sauce and sugar. Add a tablespoon of chilli crisp oil (you can add more later to taste), then whisk and put to one side.
Once the rice has had 10 minutes, press it into an even layer again and fry for a further five minutes to crisp well, adding the remaining tablespoon of oil and turning the heat up a little if needed. Turn off the heat and leave the rice to cool for a few minutes in the pan; remove and discard the lemongrass. Once the rice is cool, break it into the shallot bowl and mix well. Add the chopped herbs, adjust the seasoning to taste and serve with more crispy chilli oil, if you wish.
