Larb

Method

1. Rinse 70 g sticky rice and leave it to soak in cold water for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Drain it, spread it in a steamer basket lined with muslin and steam over rapidly boiling water for 20 minutes, turning the rice over halfway, until translucent and chewy. Keep it wrapped in a cloth or a lidded basket while you cook.
2. Make the khao khua: put 1 tbsp raw glutinous rice in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat and toast for about 8 minutes, shaking constantly, until every grain is deep golden and smells nutty. Tip onto a plate to cool, then pound in a mortar or grind to a coarse, sandy powder. This is the backbone of larb, so do not let it burn.
3. Put 150 g pork mince and 2 tbsp water in a wok or small frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 4-5 minutes, mashing and breaking the meat with a spatula so it stays loose and crumbly rather than clumping, until no pink remains and the pan holds only a little cloudy juice. Do not brown it — larb pork should be pale and moist. Take the pan off the heat and let it sit for 2 minutes.