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1
Bring the pork broth to a gentle simmer in a wide pot, then add the bruised coriander roots and garlic cloves — bruising opens the fibres so their fragrance passes into the liquid in minutes rather than hours. Simmer for 10 minutes. The broth should smell savoury and aromatic, not flat.
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2
Remove the coriander roots and garlic, then add the day-old jasmine rice to the simmering broth, stirring once to separate the grains — day-old rice has lost enough surface moisture to hold its shape under heat where freshly cooked rice would dissolve immediately. This is where the dish lives or dies: cook for 10 to 15 minutes only, at a steady simmer, until the grains are just softened and beginning to release a little starch but remain whole and recognisable. The broth must stay clear with only a slight cloudiness — the moment the rice begins to collapse and the liquid thickens to a paste, khao tom has become jok.
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3
Taste the broth and adjust seasoning, bearing in mind that with such brief cooking the base broth carries the entire savour of the dish and must therefore be fully seasoned before it reaches the bowl. The finish on the palate should be clean and savoury.
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4
Ladle into deep bowls, then arrange all garnishes — fried garlic with its oil, halved salted egg, ginger julienne, sliced green onion, and crispy dried shrimp — simultaneously at the table, with freshly ground white pepper beside them, so each diner controls the balance of salt, heat and fragrance in their own bowl. The garnishes are not optional: khao tom's flavour is built at the table, not in the pot.