Miang nem — a Lao salad of toasted rice, coconut and aromatics tossed with dried shrimp in a sweet-sour dressing, wrapped in leaves to eat by hand. Bright and crunchy.
- 50g Dried Shrimp
- 40g Rice
- 100g Coconut
- 20g Orange Zest
- 3 Chilli
- 50g Peanuts
- 100g Pickled Scallion Heads
- 30 ml Pickled Scallion Head Brine
- 25g Galangal
- 30g Shallots
- 20 ml Orange Juice
- 50 ml Lime Juice
- 50 ml Fish Sauce
- 50g Palm Sugar
Preparation
- Rinse the rice, soak for about 10 minutes, then drain well. Heat a wok over medium heat, add the rice, and stir constantly until evenly dark golden and very fragrant, about 5 minutes. Cool, then grind finely in a spice grinder or mortar and sift to remove any large pieces.
- Thinly slice the shallots lengthwise. Finely chop the galangal, pickled scallion heads, chillies and bitter orange zest. Coarsely grind the roasted peanuts. Toast the shredded coconut in a dry pan over low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the lime juice, bitter orange juice, palm sugar, pickled scallion brine and fish sauce, stirring until dissolved.
- Combine the dried shrimp, toasted coconut, chopped aromatics and dressing in a bowl and mix well, then add the roasted rice powder and stir again. Top with the coarsely ground peanuts.
- Place the salad on a large plate and let each guest spoon a little onto their own plate, wrap in leafy greens with vegetables, and enjoy in bite-sized portions.
- For a vegetarian version, omit the dried shrimp and fish sauce and season with soy sauce and a pinch of sea salt, keeping the sweet-sour balance.
