Thai Spicy Pork Glass Noodle Salad (Laab Woonsen)

Place the noodles in a large bowl and cover with warm but not boiling water. Allow to soak for 8-10 minutes or until just tender. Drain and set aside in a large bowl.

For the dressing, toast the rice in a dry frying pan over high heat until golden brown. Remove from heat and use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder to grind rice to a fine powder. Mix the rice powder with the remaining dressing ingredients.

Place a non-stick pan over high heat. When it’s hot, add in the pork mince. Break up the mince as it cooks. When cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer the mince to the bowl containing your noodles (discard the cooking liquid). While the pork is warm, add the shallots and a couple of tablespoons of the dressing and toss. Add the coriander, spring onion, mint leaves and the remaining dressing and toss until well combined. Adjust the seasoning with more fish sauce/chilli powder or lime juice to taste.

Serve warm with cabbage, beans and  whole spring onion.

– Using glutinous or sticky rice will give you a softer rice powder that creates a thick and soft coating for the finished salad. If glutinous rice is unavailable you can still use regular long grain or jasmine rice to add a similar toasty flavour with a slightly crunchier texture.