Head to this weekend’s Farm Tour, Sept. 21 – 22 from noon to 5 p.m., and get a behind the scenes look and early taste of what’s to come — heirloom rice grown right here in Western North Carolina. Lee’s One Fortune Farm has been weaving their Hmong food and farming traditions into the foothills of this region for years, sharing their abundance at Buncombe County tailgate farmers markets and with anyone willing to try something new.
A big draw for Tue and Chue Lee (and their large extended family) to settle in this region was the climate and growing conditions that closely resemble the highlands of their home country of Laos. While rice is not commonly grown in the Southern Appalachian region, the hot days, cool nights and numerous waterways for flooding rice paddies make growing their passed down heirloom rice a delicious reality. Find sweet sticky and purple rice from the Lee’s at the Asheville City, Black Mountain, West Asheville, River Arts District, and East Asheville markets beginning next week or grab some from their farm during Farm Tour this weekend.
Sweet sticky rice, also known as glutinous rice, is one of the most commonly eaten foods in Laotian cuisine. Despite not containing any gluten, sweet sticky rice cooks up moist and chewy. Traditionally it’s steamed in bamboo (occasionally the Lee’s offers samples of this preparation), but it will work in a rice cooker or stovetop pot as well. It’s a good choice for rice pudding or other desserts like mango sticky rice, but also goes well with curries or can be formed into rice cakes and fried. To make sticky rice (Khao Niew), Chue Lee recommends a one-to-one ratio—one cup of water for one cup of rice. Rinsing and soaking the rice beforehand may give you a better outcome.
If you’re dreaming of a savory yet fresh and crispy rice dish using your market haul, try making this traditional Laotian Nam Khao (Crispy Rice Salad). Combine your cooked and slightly cooled rice with two tablespoons of Thai red curry paste, a small knob of ginger, two cloves of garlic, one shallot, two tablespoons of fish sauce, one teaspoon of black pepper, two teaspoons of brown sugar (or local honey), one egg, and a splash of lime juice. Wet your hands to create small rice balls, using up all the mixture. In a frying pan or fryer, heat a generous amount of canola oil until hot. Gently add the rice balls in batches, frying them for three to four minutes until they are crisp.
Traditionally, this recipe is made with a special fermented pork sausage called Som Moo or Naem, which can be found at local Asian markets, but if you want to keep this recipe local, cook a pound of ground pork with one chopped thai chili. Find ground pork from Dry Ridge Farm (Asheville City, North Asheville, and West Asheville markets), Sugar Hollow Farm (North Asheville and River Arts District markets), or Hickory Nut Gap (North Asheville). While the ground pork is cooking, make the salad dressing by combining two tablespoons of fish sauce, two tablespoons of honey, two tablespoons of lime juice, one tablespoon of rice vinegar, one minced clove of garlic, one chopped cilantro stem (no leaves), and one finely chopped Thai chili. Once mixed, stir in one third cup of boiling water and set aside to cool.
To arrange your Crispy Rice Salad, break up the cooled rice balls into pieces using your hands and toss them together with the ground pork, two sliced shallots, two chopped green onions, chopped Thai chilis to your spice level, one half cup of roasted peanuts, and a small bundle of each mint, cilantro, and thai basil, roughly chopped. Pour in the dressing and mix well. This can be served as is with a few lime wedges, or spooned into romaine lettuce leaves.
Also spotted at markets in recent weeks: tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, cucumbers, beets, cabbage, carrots, radishes, turnips, kohlrabi, green beans, mushrooms, eggplant, okra, potatoes, onions, scallions, peaches, plums, nectarines, melons, apples, Asian pears, sweet corn and fresh herbs. Markets offer an abundance of farm-fresh eggs and meats, including chicken, pork, beef, and lamb. You can also get bread, cheese, pastries, fermented products, drinks, and prepared foods. Find more details about farms and markets throughout the region, including hours and location, in ASAP’s online Local Food Guide.