Naem Khao

Ingredients

Rice balls

• 600 gcooked jasmine rice, cooled
• 3 tbspred curry paste
• 150 ggrated coconut, or desiccated
• 1egg
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tbspsugar

For frying

• 1 litrevegetable oil

Sour pork

• 300 gnaem, sour fermented pork sausage

To mix through

• 3spring onions, sliced
• 1small onion, thinly sliced
• a large handful of coriander
• a large handful of mint
• 80 groasted peanuts, chopped
• juice of 3 limes
• 3 tbspfish sauce
• 2chillies, sliced
• 1 tspsugar

To serve

• lettuce leaves
• raw vegetables
• more herbs

Directions

1. Cook the naem before using it, by frying or grilling it thoroughly. It keeps its sourness and its texture and the dish works exactly as well. Use jasmine rice cooked the day before and refrigerated. Freshly cooked hot rice is too wet and will not form balls.
2. Break up any clumps with your fingers. Mixing the rice balls is done by hand. Put the cold rice in a large bowl. Add the red curry paste, grated coconut, egg, salt and sugar. Mix it thoroughly with your hands. Every grain should be coated and coloured. Add a spoonful of water if it will not bind. Shaping them takes properly wet hands. Take a handful of the mixture and press it into a ball.
3. Make them about the size of a tennis ball. Press firmly, since loose balls fall apart in the oil. Set them on a lined tray as you go. Chill them for twenty minutes, which helps them hold. Heat the oil in a deep pan to about 170C. Do not crowd the pan, since they need room. Fry them for six to eight minutes.
4. Turn them occasionally with a slotted spoon. They should be deep golden and hard on the outside. Lift them onto a rack and let them cool for ten minutes. Cooking the naem is done separately.
5. Remove any wrapper and cut the naem into small pieces. Fry it in a dry pan over a medium heat for six to eight minutes. Break the meat up as it cooks. Cook it until no pink remains anywhere. Let it cool before it goes into the salad. Crumbling the rice balls is done just before mixing.
6. Break the cooled fried balls apart with your hands. Crumble them into pieces of varying size. Leave some larger crunchy pieces rather than reducing everything to crumbs. Mixing the salad is done by hand and quickly.
7. Put the crumbled rice in a very large bowl. Add the cooked naem, spring onion, sliced onion and peanuts. Add the herbs, torn rather than chopped. Pour over the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. Add the sliced chilli as well. Toss it with your hands, lifting rather than stirring.
8. Taste it and adjust the lime, fish sauce and chilli. It should be sour first, then salty, then hot. Turn it onto a platter and surround it with lettuce leaves. Eat it straight away, since the rice softens within twenty minutes.

Technique

• Raw fermented pork carries a documented parasite risk; cook the naem thoroughly first.
• Use day-old cold rice, since fresh hot rice is too wet to form balls.
• Crumble the fried balls at the last moment, as they soften once dressed.

Substitutions

• Cooked pork mince with extra lime, if naem is unavailable.
• Desiccated coconut in place of fresh grated.

Variations

• Made with cooked minced pork instead of fermented naem.
• With more chilli, which is common in Laos.
• Vegetarian, with fried tofu in place of the pork.

History

Crisp fried rice balls crumbled with sour fermented pork, peanuts and herbs, wrapped in lettuce; spread abroad by Lao communities in the United States.

Frequently asked questions

What is Naem Khao?

Naem Khao is a salad & side from Laos: crispy fried rice-ball salad with sour pork and herbs. Crisp fried rice balls crumbled with sour fermented pork, peanuts and herbs, wrapped in lettuce; spread abroad by Lao communities in the United States.

How long does Naem Khao take to make?

Naem Khao takes 40 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Naem Khao?

Yes, within limits. Cooked pork mince with extra lime, if naem is unavailable. Desiccated coconut in place of fresh grated.

What is the most important thing to get right in Naem Khao?

Make them about the size of a tennis ball. Press firmly, since loose balls fall apart in the oil. Set them on a lined tray as you go. Chill them for twenty minutes, which helps them hold. Heat the oil in a deep pan to about 170C. Do not crowd the pan, since they need room. Fry them for six to eight minutes.