Pork larb

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp rice (ideally glutinous rice (sticky) but otherwise jasmine)
• 2 shallots (or 1/2 red onion)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 6 tbsp cilantro (coriander (approx weight in metric))
• 6 tbsp mint ((approx weight in metric))
• 2 tbsp lemongrass (either pre-prepared puree of from around 2 stems fresh)
• 1 lb ground pork (pork mince)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/4 cup lime juice ((1/4 cup is approx 2 limes))
• 2 red chilis (or more/less, to taste (can also use chili powder instead))

Instructions

1. 1

   Warm a skillet/frying pan over medium heat, without any oil. Add the rice and toast until gently golden brown, moving round a bit now and then so that it cooks evenly. Once toasted, grind as fine as you can to a coarse flour with a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. You can do this ahead of time, and in larger quantities as suits.

2. 2

   Cut the shallot/onion into thin, half moon or smaller slices if larger. Finely dice the garlic (or you can finely grate it), chop up the cilantro and mint, and chop and mince the white part of the lemongrass finely if using fresh.

3. 3

   Warm a skillet/frying pan over a medium heat (you could use the same one as for the rice if big enough) - non stick is best and doesn't need oil, or else if not, you probably want to add a little oil as it heats. Add the ground pork and cook it through, stirring regularly to cook all sides and break up the meat.

4. 4

   Remove the pork from the skillet and place in a bowl, straining the excess fat off the meat as you go (discard the fat).

5. 5

   Add the toasted rice powder, shallot/onion, garlic, cilantro, mint, lemongrass, chili, fish sauce and lime juice to the pork and mix everything well. Serve at room temperature.