Yum kai dao (Thai fried egg salad)

Pound the chilies fine so there are no large pieces.

Add palm sugar and pound to a muddy paste.

Add fresh lime juice and swirl to dissolve the sugar; add fish sauce and taste.

Heat plenty of oil in a wok or small pan, about a quarter inch deep, so the eggs float slightly; test with a piece of vegetable until it bubbles right away.

Crack a room-temperature egg straight into the hot oil and baste the top with a spoon until the whites are bubbly and the edges crisp and brown; fry one at a time and leave it until the bottom firms and it releases.

Take it out when moist but firm enough to hold when cut; traditionally they are hard-fried. Do not flip, so the bottom browns fully.

Combine celery and its inner leaves, tomatoes, onion, chopped cilantro and hand-broken roasted peanuts, and toss.

Cut each egg like a pizza through the yolk, about four to six pieces, so every piece has yolk.

Slide the eggs into the bowl, add the dressing, toss gently and serve with rice and extra peanuts.