serves 2

ingredients

• 3 tbsp light chicken stock or water
  good pinch salt
  pinch white sugar
  200g lean pork, say from the loin, coarsely minced or finely chopped
  1–2 tbsp fish sauce
  2 tbsp lime juice or more as required

• 1 lemon grass stalk white only
  ½ tsp chilli powder
  3 tbsp finely sliced red shallots
  4 tbsp chopped coriander
  2 tbsp mint leaves
  1 tbsp ground roasted sticky rice (see below)
  

To serve: a selection vegetables and herbs: slices of cucumber, raw green beans; sprigs of Thai basil or mint, steamed jasmine rice. You can even get some lettuce and wrap the mince up in it

method

• Heat the stock with the salt and sugar in a small pan. When the stock is simmering, add the minced pork and simmer until just cooked. 

• Season with the fish sauce and lime juice, then with the chilli powder – the larp should taste hot, salty and sour. Finish with the shallots, finely sliced lemon grass and herbs and most of the ground roasted rice. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. 

• Serve the salad sprinkled with the remainder of the roasted rice and accompanied by a plate of raw vegetables and herbs – and, of course, with a bowl of steamed rice.
  
  
  

ground roasted rice

To make ground roasted rice, dry-fry white sticky rice over a low heat in a wok or pan, stirring regularly until golden and fragrant. The rice must smell nutty and cooked – rather like cooked pastry – and it should be a deep golden brown in colour. (If it is insufficiently cooked, it is not only indigestible but unpalatable.) Leave to cool then grind to a fine to medium powder using a pestle and mortar or a clean coffee grinder. Store in an airtight container.