In Laos, like in many other Asian countries, the people's daily alimentation depends on rice. Laotians eat a lot of sticky rice which they have the habit of crushing into a ball with their fingers and using like a sponge to soak up sauces. It is their staple diet. As their close neighbour Laos (see map), Vietnam and Thailand also know this kind of speciality that they call "Bahn It Tran" in Vietnamese and "Khao Tod" in Thai.This vegetarian dish is delicious and very fulfilling. Thanks to the egg "glaze", the patties are meaty-tasting and nicely crispy on the outside. On the contrary, their inside texture is rather glutinous and quite elastic (something not everybody likes...).The fragrant "Ginger Sauce" is the perfect accompaniment to those delicately flavored "rice burgers", although it's origin is more Chinese than Lao (my adaptation)...
Makes about 12 patties.
Ingredients:
2 Eggs
3 Cups Cooked glutinous rice, one day old (see infos)
Salt, to taste
Oil, for frying
For the "Ginger Sauce":
2 Tbs Light soy sauce (see infos)
1 Tbs Dark soy sauce (see infos)
2 1/2 Tsp Rice vinegar (see infos)
1/2 Tsp Sesame oil
1 Tsp Sesame seeds, roasted
1/2 Tsp Fresh ginger root, finely chopped
Method:
1. Beat the eggs in a small bowl.
2. Take 1/4 cup cooked sticky rice, spread it flat and sprinkle with salt.
3. Knead the rice to incorporate the salt and shape into a round patty.
4. Put the sticky rice patties into a frying pan with enough oil, over medium high heat.
5. Fry for 5 minutes, until golden brown.
6. Flip the sticky rice patty over and brush the beaten egg mixture.
7. After another 5 minutes flip the sticky rice over and brush with the egg mixture again.
8. After one minute, flip the rice patty and repeat the operation by flipping and spreading more egg mixture over the sticky rice patties, until the mixture has all been used.
9. Stir together all dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
10. Serve immediately.
Remarks:The rice patties might be very sticky at the beginning, but don't worry, after a while they will be crisp and will not stick to the pan anymore. Just try not to touch them while they are frying (for the first 5 minutes before you flip them over), otherwise you'll end up with a pile of mashed sticky rice!
You can also grill or barbecue them.
Once the patties are cold, you can cut them into strips for the appetizer course.
Serving suggestions:
Eat those patties warm or cold and dip into the sauce, as an appetizer. A lettuce salad or any kind of Thai, Lao, Vietnamese salad would be the perfect accompaniment to this dish if you serve it as a main dish.
Instead of using the "Ginger Sauce", you can very well use my Vietnamese "Nuoc Cham Sauce" (see recipe) that also goes very well with the rice patties...
View a useful video showing you how to make those "Fried Sticky Rice Patties": click here.(Van Viang - Pic by Weeraphan Thawaitakham www.trekearth.com)
