Laab Nuea (Ground Beef Salad)
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoon fish sauce (nam pla) **
1/2 teaspoon galangal powder (kha pon) **
6 shallots thinly sliced
2 tablespoon scallion chopped
2 tablespoon cilantro leaves chopped
2 tablespoon ground roasted sticky rice**
1 teaspoon thai red chili pepper ground (prik khee
15 mint leaves
Description:
The blend of fresh herbs and lime juice makes this salad very refreshing. This laab recipe was
taken to Bangkok by the people of the Northeast and is one of the favorite dishes of Thailand.
Other meats such as chicken or pork can also be used.
Directions:
Combine the ground beef with the lime juice, fish sauce, galangal powder and shallots. Heat a
skillet and cook the ground beef mixture on medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until the beef is
cooked. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the chopped green onion and cilantro and the
ground roasted rice. Mix thoroughly so that everything is well combined. Remove to a serving plate,
spoon the ground pepper on the side of the plate if desired, and garnish with the mint leaves.
Serve with an accompaniment of raw vegetables, such as long string beans or snake beans, sliced
cabbage, green leaf lettuce/Chinese lettuce, basil leaves, and swamp cabbage or spinach.
** TERMS
Roasted sticky rice: Prepared by adding raw sticky rice to a hot skillet and cooking until it
is golden brown. Add a tablespoon of water to the pan at occasional intervals. Grind in a mortar
with a pestle if ground roasted sticky rice is needed.
Galangal (kha): A relative of the ginger root, galangal is pale yellow and has a unique,
delicate flavor. Fresh young ginger root, but not dried ginger, is an adequate substitute, but does
not properly replace the unique flavor.
Fish sauce (nam pla): A salty, pale brown liquid used widely in Thai cooking, this is made
from fermented small fish or shrimp. The fish are salted and fermented in jars and then the liquid
is collected. It adds salt to many dishes and is essential for authentic Thai flavors--and is
available from Asian food stores.
From: "Thailand, the Beautiful Cookbook."
Yield: 4
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