Asian Salad Recipes - Thai Fried Rice Balls and Pork Skin Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 100g (4oz) piece of pork skin

• 100g (4oz) minced pork

• 1 heaped tablespoon ginger that has been cut into thin matchsticks

• 4 small red shallots, thinly sliced

• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced into rounds

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

• 2 heaped tablespoons peanuts 

• coriander leaves, to garnish lettuce leaves, to serve

For the rice balls:

• 150g (5oz) cooked rice

• 1 egg

• 60g (2oz) minced pork

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 heaped teaspoon finely chopped coriander root

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• oil for deep-frying

Serves 4

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Method:

1. First make the rice balls: place the rice in a large bowl, break in the egg and stir well. Add all the other rice ball ingredients, mix thoroughly and form into about 6 balls roughly the size of ping-pong balls.

2. Heat the oil for deep-frying to hot but not sizzling and deep-fry the rice balls until golden brown. Drain well on kitchen paper and set aside.

3. Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the pork skin and boil for 5 minutes. Remove and cut into short thin strands. Set aside.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons water in a pan, add the minced pork and simmer until cooked through, about 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the pork skin strands and mix well.

5. Turn out into a bowl, add the fried rice balls and, with a fork, roughly break them up. Add all the remaining ingredients except the coriander and lettuce.

6. Stir well, turn out on to a serving platter, garnish with coriander leaves and serve, accompanied by the lettuce leaves, which can be used to scoop up the salad.