Khao Yum (Southern Thai Rice Salad with Butterfly Pea Flower)

Deselect All

Rice:

2 tablespoons dried butterfly pea flower, or to taste (the more flower the deeper the color)

1 cup water, brought to a boil

1 cup jasmine rice

Budu Dressing:

1/2 large shallot, peeled, bruised and thinly sliced

One 3- to 4-inch stalk lemongrass, bruised

2 inches galangal, sliced into coins about 1/4-inch (1/2-centimeter) thick and bruised

1/2 cup water

3 tablespoons budu or fish sauce

1 teaspoon shrimp paste, optional (omit if using budu)

1 tablespoon palm sugar, shaved with a knife if hard

2 makrut lime leaves, stems removed and leaves folded and torn into pieces

Salad (Herbs and More):

4 makrut lime leaves, tightly rolled and cut across into very thin strips

2- to 3-inch piece lemongrass, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons toasted flaked coconut

2 tablespoons shrimp floss (made by blending 1/2 cup dried shrimp in a blender until it resembles cotton candy, about 1 minute)

1/4 cup bean sprouts

Edible flowers to garnish

1/2 teaspoon Thai chile powder

1/2 tablespoon minced whole lime

Vegetables and Fruits:

1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced into quarter-moons (see Cook’s Note)

1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced

3 segments from a peeled pomelo, membrane removed, segments broken up

1/4 pomegranate, seeds removed