Laotian-Style Crispy Rice & Sausage Salad

Rinse the sushi rice in a sieve under cold running water for 30 secs (use your hands to really wash the grains!), then set aside to drain fully

Add the drained rice with 200ml [400ml] cold water and a generous pinch of salt to a pot with a lid and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to low until very gently bubbling and cook, covered, for 15 min

After 15 min, remove the pot from the heat and keep covered for a further 5 min – this is your sticky rice

Tip: Don't peek! Keep the lid on the whole time to get fluffy and sticky rice!

Once done, transfer the sticky rice to a plate and spread it out flat to help it cool down

Whilst the sushi rice is cooking, peel and finely chop the shallot[s] and peel and grate the garlic

Cut the red chilli[es] in half lengthways, deseed (scrape the seeds out with a teaspoon) and chop finely

Chop the coriander roughly, including the stalks

Strip the mint leaves from their stems and chop them roughly, discard the stems

Roll the lime[s] with your hand on a hard surface (to release more juice) and cut in half

Combine half the soy sauce and half the grated garlic (save the rest for later!) in a small bowl with half the chopped chilli (can't handle the heat? Go easy!), the juice of 1/2 [1] lime, the rice vinegar, 1/2 tsp [1 tsp] sugar and a drizzle of vegetable oil – this is your chilli-lime dressing

Cut the remaining lime into wedges

Wash the gem lettuce then pat it dry with kitchen paper, remove 6 [12] leaves and set aside then shred the inner core

Cut the cucumber into batons and roughly chop the roasted peanuts

Combine the sticky rice and red Thai curry paste in a bowl with the chopped shallot, 1/2 tsp [1 tsp] sugar, the remaining soy sauce and grated garlic

Give everything a good mix up – this is your sticky rice mixture

Shape the sticky rice mixture into 6 [12] balls

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a generous drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat

Once hot, add the rice balls and cook for 3-4 min on each side or until golden and crispy

Once done, transfer to a plate and set aside, reserve the pan

Return the reserved pan to a medium-high heat and once hot, add the sausage meat (remove the paper if required!) with the remaining chopped chilli (not a fan of spice? Just add a little!)

Cook for 3-4 min or until browned and cooked through (no pink meat!) – this is your spicy sausage meat

Meanwhile, combine the shredded lettuce, cucumber batons and half the chopped coriander & mint (save the rest for garnish!) with half the chilli- lime dressing – this is your zesty salad