Thai Rice Soup (Khao Tom)

By lorik

Tip: Don’t use freshly cooked rice, as the grains will turn mushy. Rice that was cooked at least a day in advance, then chilled held its shape better than rice that was cooked the same day. To chill just-cooked rice, mist a parchment-lined baking sheet with cooking spray and spread the hot rice on it evenly. Let cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for at least one or up to three days.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces ground pork
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce, divided, plus extra to serve
• 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce, divided, plus extra to serve
• 1¾ teaspoons ground white pepper
• 3 tablespoons lard or refined coconut oil
• 5 large shallots, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (2 cups)
• 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3 lemon grass stalks, trimmed to bottom 6 inches, dry outer leaves removed, smashed
• 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
• 2½ quarts low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups cooked and chilled jasmine rice
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons lime juice (2 to 3 limes), plus lime wedges, to serve
• Fried shallots, to serve
• Soft- or hard-cooked eggs, peeled and halved, to serve

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 45mins
Adapted from

Preparation

Step 1

In a medium bowl, mix the pork, 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of the chili-garlic sauce and ¾ teaspoon white pepper. Form the mixture into 20 meatballs (about 2 teaspoons each), rolling each between the palms of your hands. Place on a large plate.

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the lard until shimmering. Add the shallots and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the lemon grass and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits, then reduce to medium and simmer uncovered until the flavors blend, about 15 minutes.

Remove and discard the lemon grass. Add the meatballs, stir gently to combine and simmer over medium until the meatballs are just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons fish sauce, the remaining 1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce, the remaining 1 teaspoon white pepper, the cilantro and the lime juice. Ladle into bowls and serve with fried shallots, egg halves, chili-garlic sauce and lime wedges.