Nam-sod, Kao-tod (Nam Pork Salad and Fried Rice Patties

Nam-sod, Kao-tod (Nam Pork Salad and Fried Rice Patties)

Ingredients
Kao-tod (rice patties)
1tbsp galangal, finely chopped
1tsp dried chilli, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes then seeded and finely chopped
3 tbsp lemongrass, finely chopped
3 tbsp shallots, finely chopped
2 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
2 cups cooked jasmine rice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 egg

Nam-sod (Nam Pork)
4 tbsp finely chopped garlic (about 10 cloves)
1 pound ground prok
2 oz. pork skin, boiled for 10 minutes then sliced very thin
½ cup cooked jasmine rice
2 tsp salt

To finish the salad
10 shallots, finely sliced
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp green onion, finely sliced
½ cup young ginger, julienned
6 tbsp lime juice (from 2-3 limes)
½ cup of peanuts
10-15 dried chilli
2-3 tbsp fish sauce
2 more limes, each cut into six slivers

Making Kao-tod
Pound the galangal, dried chilli, lemongrass, shallots and garlic together into a fine paste. This is best done in a mortar and pestle. You could use a blender, but do not add any water, otherwise your rice patties will splatter during the frying
In a medium bowl, mash the herb paste, rice, egg, and fish sauce together by hand
Cover and set aside for later.
The Kao-tod should not be fried up too long before serving as they will become soggy.

Making Nam-sod
Pound the garlic into a fine paste.
In a large bowl, use your hand to forcefully mash together the garlic, ground pork, pork skin, jasmine rice, and salt. Knead the mixture a bit to build up gluten which gives the Nam a nice structure. Roll the ingredients into about 10 equal size balls.
Steam the Nam balls for about 10 minutes or until just cooked. Do not over-cook them as the salad will be dry.

Make-ahead note: You can make both Kao-tod and Nam-sod up to one day ahead, follow the recipe to finish the salad before serving.

To finish the salad (the accoutrement)
First you fry up the Kao-tod. Pat the Kao-tod mixture into patties, each about 3 inch diameters and ¾ inch thick. Fry these in hot oil until golden brown. Set aside.
Quickly fry the 10-15 dried chilli, only for 10-20 seconds or so, until crisp. Be careful not to let them turn too brown.
In a large bowl, break up the Nam balls and mix in the lime juice and fish sauce.
You can serve the salad two ways
a) mix all the ingredients together, garnishing with the Kao-tod, fried chilli and slivers of lime.
b) on a large plate, put the Nam-sod in the middle. Arrange the rest of the ingredients around the Nam-sod and let your guest mix their own salad at the table.

P.S. Feel free to leave a comment should you have any question about this recipe or the ingredients. I'll be happy to help if I can.

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