Toasted Rice Powder

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked glutinous rice or jasmine rice

¼-inch piece fresh galangal, cut into thin coins

1 tablespoon thinly sliced lemongrass (see → this page)

2 kaffir lime leaves

Directions

1. In a dry wok, brown the rice over medium heat, stirring occasionally at first and more frequently as it browns. Once you smell the toasting rice, stir in the galangal, lemongrass, and lime leaves. Continue to cook until the rice develops a deep amber-golden hue, about the same color as brown rice, 15 to 20 minutes total. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

Once cooled, run everything through a food processor or spice grinder until you reach the consistency of granulated sugar. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month-any longer than that and you'll start to lose the nutty aroma.