Units Scale

4 tablespoons cooked sticky rice
1/2 pound boneless pork loin cut into slices (authentic) or I have used Chinese BBQ pork (char siu) – I personally prefer char siu
2 snake beans, cut into 2-inch pieces or substitute string beans
1/4 cup sliced spinach leaves
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms (I prefer chanterelles, but use whatever wild mushroom you have access to)
1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms (optional but highly recommended – available in Chinese supermarkets. Mandarin Chinese: 云耳; pinyin: yún’ěr, lit. “cloud ear”) or 木耳 (pinyin: mù’ěr, lit. “wood ear” or “tree ear”)
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
3 sprigs dill
4 leaves sawtooth herb, if available – if not, substitute 4 tablespoons minced cilantro
3 dried red Chiles de Arbol or 5–6 fresh Thai chilis
In a tea infuser or bundled into a piece of cheesecloth:
3 teaspoons whole black peppercorns and 15 Sichuan peppercorns
5 celery leaves
3 to 4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
Salt to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with some stock
Asian eggplant (about 8 inches total) cut crosswise into 1-inch slices
12 to 16 rattan shoots (optional) – or substitute 2 parsnips or a turnip, peeled and cut into batons
1 large sprig lemon or Thai basil

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Grill the pork and sticky rice over a low flame (or roast under a broiler) until the rice is dry and partly brown and the pork is just cooked (if using raw pork) or takes on some color if using char siu. Cool.
Put beans, spinach, mushrooms, lemongrass, dill and sawtooth herb in a bowl of cold water to soak.
Bring stock to a boil over low heat, then lower to a steady simmer. Taste and add salt if needed.
Break the sticky rice into ½-inch pieces and add to the simmering stock. Ingredient by ingredient, add the lemongrass that’s been soaking, prepared eggplants, and rattan (or substitutes). Simmer for 4 minutes.
Add the chilies and infuser or cheesecloth bag of peppercorn mixture, then simmer for 10 more minutes.
Remove chilies and eggplants from stew when soft and put into a mortar or food processor. Pound or pulse to a coarse pulp.
Drain the remaining soaking vegetables, spices and herbs. Add all to the stew plus the pork and the cornstarch slurry and simmer for several minutes. Add the eggplant pulp. Taste for salt and add if necessary.
Garnish with more fresh dill and serve with plain white or sticky rice and a Laotian dip (jaew).