Do you ever over order the amount of rice you need when ordering Chinese takeaway?  We do, with monotonous regularity and I am loathe to throw it out.  So I grabbed a little chicken mince, threw in some curry paste and Thai aromatics, constructed a simple cucumber salad and sweet, tangy chilli dressing and hey Presto!  A new family favourite!!  I also made a large batch and the kids had them on wraps for school the next day.  Simply………awesome!

 

Ps:  If you don’t have leftover rice just cook one cup of Jasmine rice to achieve the same quantities.

 

Prep time:  25  Minutes               Cooking time:  25  Minutes              $  Low Budget

 

Serves 4 with leftovers for lunch (Wooohooo!)

 

Peanut oil for frying (vegetable is fine if you have an allergy)

1kg of chicken mince

2 cups of cooked jasmine rice

2 tbs of red curry paste

2cm piece of ginger grated

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 red chilli, finely chopped (seeds removed if you prefer)

1 stalk of lemon grass, white part only and very finely chopped

2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped

2 tbs of finely chopped coriander stalks

1 tbs of fish sauce

1 egg white, whisked

 

For the salad:

 

2 Lebanese cucumbers, shaved with a peeler and seeds discarded

2 handfuls of bean sprouts

2 green onions finely sliced

1 cup of coriander leaves

1/4 cup of crushed peanuts, toasted for garnish

 

For the Dressing:

 

1/2 cup of sweet chilli sauce

Juice of 1/2 a lime

1 tbs of fish sauce

1 tbs of rice wine vinegar

 

If you can’t be bothered chopping all of the Thai aromatics place them in a mini food processor or turbo chef and blitz to a fine paste.  They are a real time saver!

 

Heat the oven to 180°.

 

Place all of the ingredients for the patties in a large mixing bowl and mix well to combine.  I prefer to remove my wedding rings and just get my hands in there as I find it mixes a whole lot better.  Heat a large frypan and pour in enough oil to cover the base of the pan.  Make sure the oil is nice and hot (use a bit of mixture to test it and if it sizzles straight away it is ready).  Wet your hands and either use them or a large tablespoon to scoop out good sized patties.  The mixture will be fairly wet but will stick once cooked.

 

Cook the patties in batches for about 4-5 minutes on either side or until golden.  Use an egg flip or tongs to turn them and be careful not to burn yourself on the oil.  If your oil is hot enough you won’t need to add anymore between batches as the patties will seal and not absorb much at all.  Once golden, remove from the pan and place them on a rack on a baking tray.  When they are all done pop them in the oven for 15 minutes to cook all the way through.

 

To make the salad, place the ingredients in another bowl and gently toss with your fingers to combine.

 

To make the dressing, place all of the ingredients in a small bowl or jar and either whisk or shake until combined.

 

To serve, pour half of the dressing on the salad and toss to coat.  Divide the salad in nice little piles between four serving plates.  Place a couple of patties along side and drizzle over the remaining dressing and top with crushed peanuts.