Avotacos with Sriracha Mayo

SERVES 2 THAI LARB GAI SALAD

Larb is a light and healthy salad that I love to serve with avocado to complement the spiciness. If you don’t have chicken to hand, you can use other types of minced meat, or for a vegan version, try crumbled tofu or thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms.

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp. basmati rice 300g minced chicken 1 clove of garlic, peeled and grated 1 shallot, finely chopped 1 spring onion, finely chopped 1 bunch of fresh coriander, leaves and stalks, roughly chopped

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

Mortar and pestle or spice grinder

METHOD

1 To make the roasted rice crunch, heat a frying pan or wok over a high heat and add the rice, without oil, to the pan. Roast the grains, shaking frequently, until they begin to color. Remove from heat, let it cool and roughly grind the rice in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. 2 Add the minced chicken to the wok or pan. Fry, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through then remove from heat. ½ cucumber, unpeeled, cut into small cubes 1 avocado, pit and skin removed, cut into 1cm cubes Fish sauce to taste (±2 tbsp.) Juice of 1 lime Chilli flakes to taste (±1 tbsp.) 2 heads of little gem lettuces, leaves separated

3 Meanwhile, mix the garlic, shallot, spring onion, coriander, cucumber, and avocado together in a small bowl. 4 Season the cooked chicken mixture in the pan with the fish sauce, lime juice, and chilli flakes. Then stir in the cucumber mixture. 5 To serve, spoon into the little gem lettuce ‘bowls’ and sprinkle the rice crunch on the top.