Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a starter
Ingredients
1 tbsp rice, preferably jasmine
Juice of 2 limes, plus lime wedges to serve
50ml chicken stock
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 kaffir lime leaves, bruised
1 green chilli, chopped and bruised in a mortar, plus more, finely sliced, to serve
1 lemon grass stalk, bruised
1 tbsp vegetable oil
300g minced chicken (Use chicken thighs: either a butcher can mince the meat or you can do it in a food processor, or chop finely by hand)
4 spring onions, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful of green beans, sliced thinly, blanched for one minute
1 tsp caster sugar
2–3 large endive or little gems
Handful of coriander or Thai basil leaves
A few radishes, finely sliced
Method
1. Toast the rice in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes, shaking until it is brown. Remove from the pan, cool, then roughly grind.
2. Put the lime juice, chicken stock and fish sauce in a saucepan with the lime leaves, chilli and lemon grass. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse at least for the time it takes to cool down.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the chicken and spring onions. Season. Fry quickly until the chicken is browned, then add the blanched green beans.
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4. Strain the infused liquid and pour this over the chicken. Simmer for a minute until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle over the toasted rice.
Allow to cool a little, then spoon on to the leaves of the endive/little gem. Garnish with sprigs of coriander, finely chopped green chilli and slices of radish. Serve with wedges of lime.