Toasted Rice

Toasted rice adds the nutty flavor to dishes like laab and other yum dishes. Heat up a pan or wok and add one or two tablespoons of uncooked rice. Lower the heat and keep stiring to prevent burning. Some rice will pop, like popcorn. When done, the rice should be golden brown.

Remove the toasted rice from the pan and pour into a mortar. Instead of pounding with the pestle, I twist it to crush the rice into smaller pieces. The last time I pounded toasted rice, I found myself sweeping the whole kitchen because the little pieces flew everywhere.

Some people like the toasted rice to be fine and powdery.  I like the mixture of rough ground and powder to add texture to the dish.

Recipes made with toasted rice

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  Bamboo Shoot Yum

  Soop Naw Mai

  Shredded bamboo shoots boiled in wild Thai leaves with hot lime sauce.

• 

  Hot Shallot Sauce with Toasted Rice

  Prig Nam Jim

  A simple sauce that with wonderful toasted rice aroma.

• 

  Grilled Steak with Spicy Shallot Sauce

  Nua Yang

  Medium rare grilled steak, served with spicy shallot and lime sauce.

• 

  Laab

  Larb

  Spicy ground pork or chicken salad cooked in lime juice, chili pepper and fish sauce

• 

  Nam Tok

  Spicy grilled beef salad with toasted rice.

• 

  Tom Sab Leng

  Fallen off the bone pork backbones in super spicy and sour broth

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