Lao – AMCARMEN'S KITCHEN

Hello Everyone! For the later part of June, we’ll be saying goodbye to Indonesia for now and will be venturing off to Laos and since I am not very familiar with Lao dishes, I’ll only be covering two dishes that I’ve had similar experiences with.

The first Lao dish that I will be sharing tonight is known as laab (can also be spelt as larb). Laab is a type of Lao minced meat salad that can be made with either chicken, duck, beef, pork, fish, or mushrooms. It is seasoned with fish sauce, lime juice and padaek, a traditional Lao condiment made from pickled or fermented fish that has been cured. It is thicker and more seasoned than the fish sauce. Chillies, assorted vegetables, and fresh herbs such as mint, are also added to give the salad more flavour.

Though this is the first time I’m tackling a Lao dish, I am familiar with the process and taste of laab. My Thai aunt taught me how to make the Thai version of this dish using chicken, beef, and pork; this was way back when I was still in university and used to eat meat. Even though this is the ‘unofficial’ national dish of Lao, it is also eaten in a certain region in Northern Thailand where the majority of the population is of the Lao ethnicity. Variants of this dish can also be found in Myanmar (Burma) and in the Yunnan province of China.

I’ll be sharing a pescatarian-friendly version known as Laab Paa, or in English, Fish Herb Salad. It is refreshing because of the fresh mint and fresh ginger slices that cut through the saltiness, sourness, and spiciness of the dish as a whole. While the fish meat is soft and tender, you also get a different texture from the crispy-fried fish skin that is mixed into the salad. The dish is served at room temperature and usually with a serving of sticky rice and raw or fresh vegetables. You can even serve them as lettuce wraps. We served ours with rice noodles instead.

PREP TIME 20 MINS | COOKING TIME 5 MINS | SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

500g minced fish, I used red grouper fish
Fish skin
Salt, to taste

2-3 red chillies, minced
1 small red onion, halved and sliced thinly
1 thumb-sized ginger, julienned
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
Juice of half a lemon
Handful of blanched bean sprouts
Mint leaves
Spring onion

METHOD

Add about a tablespoon or 2 of cooking oil in a medium-sized frying pan over medium-high. Add the minced fish and season with salt, to taste. Cook until translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes.
While the fish is cooking, heat oil in a separate pan and fry the fish skin until browned and crispy. Once fried, break them into smaller sizes. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the cooked fish together with all the remaining ingredients. Adjust the seasoning to your liking, i.e. add more fish sauce for saltiness, or more lemon juice for sourness.
Plate up and top the laab paa with the crispy-fried fish skin. Serve and enjoy!

BON APPÉTIT

– Ally xx

Hey Everyone! Just letting you guys know that I’m currently in Victoria with my family for 9 days; staying in Cranbourne with a family friend. Anyway, yes, besides that, today’s recipe is based on what I uploaded on Tuesday; using the homemade tom yum paste to make a (yes) chicken feet tom yum soup. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Chicken feet, really? And gizzards as well? Ew!” – actually not ew, well in my opinion that is! When I first learnt this dish from my Auntie, she cooked this with these cuts of chicken. My mom even gives the chicken feet a little pedicure; scrubbing them clean and cutting off their nails on each toe – so much work that I myself wouldn’t even be bothered to do! If you’re not into chicken feet, this spicy and sour soup can be made with other meats varying from mixed seafood such as prawns, squid, and clams, or other cuts of chicken, pork, and fish.

Also, I didn’t know this until I did a bit of research, but tom yum is actually a Lao and Thai dish; all along I thought it was just Thai. Anyway, for those of you who don’t know what tom yum is, it is a clear, spicy, and sour soup served widely in many neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore, but has also been popularised around the world. “Tom” actually refers to the boiling process while “yum” refers to a spicy and sour salad; and therefore “tom yum” is a hot and sour soup characterised by the fragrant herbs used to flavour the broth. The basic broth is made of stock and fresh ingredients such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, and crushed fresh chillies. When I first learnt to cook this dish, I added coconut milk to the broth. Over time, we eliminated the coconut milk because my mom can’t eat, or more like, isn’t allowed to have anything with coconut in her diet.

PREP TIME 30 MINS | COOKING TIME 1 HOUR | SERVES 5-6

INGREDIENTS

1kg chicken feet, wash, cleaned, and nails cut off
250g chicken gizzards, washed and cleaned
2.5L boiling water
1 heaped tbsp Homemade Tom Yum Paste (or more if you’ve deseeded your chillies before making it into a paste), likewise, you may use store-bought paste
1 tsp chicken stock powder
4 pcs kaffir lime leaves
3 inch galangal, sliced
2 large tomatoes, quartered
2 pcs red bird’s eye chillies
2 red onions, quartered
2 stalks lemongrass, cut into 2-inch lengths
Juice of 2 limes
Fish sauce to taste

METHOD

Add the all the ingredients, except for the kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, lime juice, and tom yum paste, into a large pot. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Then add in the kaffir lime leaves, lime juice, and tom yum paste. Give it a good mix and then add in the fish sauce about a tablespoon at a time; taste until the seasoning and taste is to your liking. At this point, you may also add in straw mushrooms or oyster mushroom if you wish. Let it cook for a further 45 minutes, or until chicken feet and gizzards are tender.
Serve with steamed rice and enjoy! Quite a nice dish actually for a cold winter night.