This is my absolute favorite thing to order at Thai (well, Laotian) restaurants, but it isn’t frequently on the menu. Now I finally know how to make it, hurrah! This recipe has a lot of ingredients, but the actual cooking time isn’t that much if you prep a few things in advance (cooked rice, fried shallots). Adapted from Cook Eat World.

Ingredients

For the rice balls

• 3 c cooked Jasmine rice, cooled to room temperature
• 2 T Thai red curry paste
• 1 t ginger, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, very finely chopped
• 2 T fish sauce
• 2 t light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• Canola oil (for deep frying)

For the salad dressing

• 4 T fish sauce
• 4 T brown sugar
• 4 T lime juice
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 Thai chillis, cut into thin slices
• ⅓ c hot water

For the salad

• ⅓ c mint, roughly chopped
• ⅓ c cilantro, roughly chopped
• ⅓ c Thai Basil, roughly chopped
• ⅓ c roasted peanuts
• 3-4 T fried shallots
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1/4 c toasted coconut flakes
• 1 small cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and then finely sliced
• 1/4 c shredded green papaya (optional)
• Lettuce leaves for serving

Instructions

• To make rice balls, mix together all ingredients except for oil in a medium bowl.
• With wet hands (to avoid the rice sticking), create a 2″ ball with the rice mix.
• Arrange balls on a plate while you repeat the process to use up all the mix, then refrigerate until needed.
• Pour oil into a medium saucepan so that it is approximately 2″ deep.
• Heat on medium-high until hot. You will know it is ready when a cube of bread sinks then gently rises to the surface and bubbles when added. (If the oil is too hot, remove from the heat and cool.)
• Gently drop the rice balls into the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes until crisp and golden brown. (How many balls you cook at once will depend on the size of your pan – they shouldn’t be crowded, as you need the oil to completely surround them.)
• Remove and drain cooked balls on paper towels while you fry the rest in batches.
• To make the dressing, combine all ingredients and mix so the sugar is mostly dissolved.
• Pour in hot water and whisk until sugar is dissolved, then leave to cool.
• Combine all salad ingredients except lettuce in a large bowl.
• When rice balls are cooled, break them up into chunks, add to salad ingredients, and toss to mix.
• Serve with lettuce slices and drizzle with sauce to taste.