Ingredients
| 2 cups glutinous rice | |
| 1 tablespoon palm sugar, grated | |
| juice of 3 limes | |
| 3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce | |
| 3 tablespoons rice vinegar | |
| 1 teaspoon dried hot chilli flakes | |
| 3 carrots, finely julienned | |
| ½ teaspoon salt | |
| 2 (double) makrut (kaffir) lime leaves | |
| 600g tempeh | |
| 3 tablespoons peanut oil | |
| 2 shallots or 1 small red onion, thinly sliced | |
| 2 stalks lemongrass, tough outer layers removed, inner thinly sliced | |
| 2-3 fresh red chillies, finely sliced | |
| 4 spring onions, sliced | |
| 1 cup coriander leaves | |
| ½ cup mint leaves | |
| ½ cup Thai basil leaves |
In an effort to cut down on meat, I am loving this not-quite vegetarian version of tangy larb with tempeh. Fish sauce has a distinctive taste and is key to a true larb, but the dish can still be delicious without it, by substituting soy sauce or
you will find many vegan ‘fish’ sauce recipes online.
Instructions
| 1. | Place all but two tablespoons of the rice in a bowl and cover with water. Leave to soak for at least one hour (you can soak it up to 12 hours). |
| 2. | In a large bowl mix together the palm sugar, juice of two limes, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon vinegar and ½ teaspoon of the chilli flakes. Add the carrots and mix well. |
| 3. | Set aside for one hour, or up to 3 days, stirring occasionally. |
| 4. | Heat a wok or frying pan to very hot. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of rice and heat, shaking constantly until it is golden and pops, about 4-5 minutes. |
| 5. | Put in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind to a coarse powder and set aside. |
| 6. | Drain the rice and combine with the salt and makrut (kaffir) lime leaves. Put in a bamboo or metal steamer lined with muslin, place this over a pan of boiling water, cover and steam for 20 minutes. |
| 7. | Break the tempeh into small pieces, like mince. |
| 8. | Heat the wok to hot. Add the peanut oil then add the tempeh and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes until browned. |
| 9. | Turn off the heat and stir in the shallots, lemongrass and fresh chilli then transfer to a bowl and add the remaining fish sauce, vinegar, lime juice and chilli flakes and toss well. |
| 10. | Taste and adjust seasoning. Leave to cool to room temperature. |
| 11. | To serve, add the remaining toasted rice powder, spring onion, coriander, mint and Thai basil and toss well. |
| 12. | Serve with the sticky rice and carrots. |
Recipes & food styling Fiona Smith / Photography Aaron McLean Styling Fiona Lascelles
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