40:59
Greetings. Welcome back to Hot Thai Kitchen. I'm willing to bet big money that any Thai restaurant you go to has a dish called "laab" in the appetizer section, and that's what we're going to make today. This was the second video I ever posted on this channel back in 2009, when I was a young culinary school student in San Francisco. Leave a comment if you saw that video, because that means you're one of my very first viewers. The recipe I made in that video was pork laab, or " laab mu," and I chose this dish as the second one because it's a favorite among both Thais and foreigners, and " laab mu" is the most popular type of laab in Thailand. It's such a classic that I even remade
that recipe 4 years later when I moved back here to Vancouver, but it's been 13 years since that second laab video, and I've learned a few things in that time. So today I want to share with you a new and improved laab mu recipe with new tricks and tips for making your best laab ever. So, what is laab? Laab is a dish native to the northeastern region of Thailand and Laos. This is a warm salad made with minced meat and lots of fresh herbs. It is spicy, sour and very full of flavor. It's no wonder why he's so loved all over the world. Besides, it's very simple. So if you're new to Thai cuisine, this is a good option to start with. In fact, it's so easy that I make it all in just one pot.
Let's begin. First, let's talk about protein. You can make laab out of anything, and yes, "laab" is a verb. Today we're "laabing" "mu", meaning pork, because as I said, that's the most common protein for laabing in Thailand, but you can change it to chicken, beef, or even fish. For example, my latest book has a recipe for laab with duck, as well as a laab with assorted mushrooms, which is vegan. So, the first thing we're going to do is add some fish sauce to our ground meat, and then we're going to mash it up . We knead it, first of all, to get rid of those strange lumps that form in the ground meat, so that the finished dish doesn't have those meat " tubes" that annoy me the most. But we also want to rub in the fish sauce so that the pork is flavorful both
inside and out, and so that we're not relying solely on the dressing for flavor. A fork would be a better tool to mash these pieces, but whatever, once you see that there are no more meat lumps, you can continue, and next we will prepare the most important ingredient of laap, without which the dish cannot be called laap-it is fried rice powder, or Khao Kua. In a dry pan, I add some raw jasmine rice and, optionally, one kaffir lime leaf for extra flavor. Then you need to constantly stir the rice over high or medium heat to toast it. Now, before the rice is toasted, you may notice that the lime leaf has already become dry and crispy. So stop for a second to quickly take it out or it will burn. And then continue to fry the rice until it turns dark brown. The
darker the color, the richer the roasted flavor. So fry thoroughly, but don't burn. That's it, just fine. The rice will pop a little, like popcorn. The main thing for us is the color of the outside of the grain. Remove it from the pan immediately so it doesn't continue to cook from the residual heat. By the way, you can toast the rice in advance and store it in the refrigerator for at least a month. You can use a coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle to grind rice. Today I will use a mortar and pestle where we will add our rice along with that crunchy lime leaf if you used it.
I like to crush it lightly first to break up the grains a bit, covering it with my hand so nothing falls out. Once they are crushed, I rub in a circular motion, which I find more effective than hitting them from top to bottom at this stage. The lime leaf should just flake off with the rice if it is crispy and then you will see the hard central stem of the leaf which can be simply removed. So, this is the consistency we need. It shouldn't be very small, but there should n't be any large pieces. One note about fried rice powder. In Thailand and in my previous recipes, you will see that sometimes glutinous rice is used to make this powder, because this type of rice is most popular in the northeastern region where this dish originates.
However, I prefer jasmine rice because I find it a bit more aromatic. Plus, it's a recipe that most people already have on hand. But just for your information, you can use any. Let's quickly deal with fresh herbs, because they are very important in laap. I have shallots, cilantro, green onions, and mint here. This is the absolute minimum of greenery needed for laap, okay? But if you want to make it better, you can add more cilantro, known as culantro. They are harder to find, but I have seen them here and there. You can also add kaffir lime leaves, which should be finely chopped. If you have lemongrass, finely chop it and add it too. Even dill, if you like it, can be added a little or served separately for those who
want to mix it into their portion. So, it's a flexible recipe, but there are still minimum requirements, okay? Interesting fact: in Thailand, dill is called "pak chi lao ", which means Lao cilantro. So this is an herb that is only used in the northeastern region of Thailand. And that's why this is one of the dishes you can add dill to. Okay, let's start cooking. I'll pour some water into the pot and bring it to a boil. If you have open chicken broth in the fridge, you can use it. When it boils, I add the pork and stir until it is cooked through. We don't need to add oil here. This is a salad we want to make light and
low-fat, so we have enough fat from the pork. Once the pork is cooked, turn off the heat immediately. Do not let the pork overcook. Even minced meat can become dry. While it's still hot, I add shallots and finely chopped kaffir lime leaves. If you are using lemongrass or other tough herbs, add them at this stage so that the residual heat can bring out the flavor and slightly soften the sharpness of the shallots. If you prepare the dish in advance, you can stop right here, do other things, and then come back to finish when you're ready to serve. Well, the most important point is the seasonings. Laarb has very simple seasonings,
so it is important to choose them correctly. First the fish sauce for a salty taste, then the lime juice for a sour taste. Use only fresh lime juice. Now add some heat with dry ground chili or chili flakes. In Thailand, we roast chilies to add a little smoky flavor. Add as much as you can eat. After all, laap is a dish that should be spicy. It should be very sharp. However, if you don't like it very spicy, don't worry, you can still enjoy laap. But don't eliminate chili completely, because without it the taste won't be the same, because you'll miss its inherent flavor. Instead, find a mild
chili powder that works for you. I will provide more detailed advice on which peppers to use and how to modify the recipe on hotthaikitchen.com. The main thing is, don't leave the dish completely without chili, okay? By the way, I have It is sticky rice that is best served with laap. If you have n't started cooking the rice at this point, do so immediately because we're almost done. OK. And finally, we add our toasted rice powder. All at once, it will absorb the meat juices. Oh my god, this is starting to smell like real laap right now. This scent instantly turned everything into a real laap. Good. At this stage, you can stop with the spices. If you
stop now and add the herbs, you will have a very tasty laap. But it won't taste quite like the laap they make in Thailand. Of course? Because if you want your laap to taste like Thailand, you need to add "Mr. Panda." "Mr. Panda," or monosodium glutamate, which we in Thailand call " great name. Quite a bit. Good? A small pinch will change everything. If you don't want to add pure MSG or don't have it on hand, you can add chicken broth powder-it's a great way to add MSG without admitting it, and it works too. And if you don't want to do either, you can add a pinch of sugar. Let me explain. The monosodium glutamate in this dish not only adds umami flavor, it also balances the salt and acid. Thanks to this, the
taste becomes more harmonious. The acid of the lime won't be so sharp anymore, okay? That is why the overall taste becomes better. Sugar can do the same thing, but at the expense of sweetness. The trick is not to add too much sugar, because the dish should not be sweet, in laap there This is not the flavor profile that is needed here. So be very careful with this. Ultimately, you can do as you please. However, I will say that I have tasted laap balanced with glutamate and laap with sugar, and the one with glutamate tastes much better. Do whatever you want with this information. I said everything I wanted to.
Agreed? So, when you get to this stage, I taste the dish to make sure it's to my taste. Do you need to add more spice? Do you need more salt? Etc. Mm. And it's so delicious. Nothing more is needed. Mr. Pando, you did well. Actually, I'll make it sharper. Mm. And as a final touch before serving, add fresh herbs. Because the less time it spends in warm meat, the less it will wilt, especially mint. Mint is known for turning black quickly. So you shouldn't add it in advance. And that's all, friends. Look at this. Yes, it should look exactly like this.
Lots of greens, lots of chili. Mm. My God, I tell you. I know I shared this recipe about 15 years ago or so, but this is the best version. Mm. That's it. I am so excited. By the way, this dish can be served at room temperature, warm, or at room temperature. Any option will do. That's it. Garnish with mint on top, and usually we like to add a little dried chili, roasted dried chili. They're not actually fried, but you know, I add them for appearance so you get the idea. Laap is not eaten as a standalone dish. This is a dish with a very strong flavor, so it requires accompaniments, which we call "khrung khiang." Usually these are fresh, crunchy vegetables: Chinese cabbage, white cabbage, regular cabbage will also work, green beans, cucumbers,
radishes, romaine lettuce, Belgian endive - anything that is crunchy and fresh, anything that you can scoop up the sauce with, will work perfectly. And the carbohydrates-as I said, it's sticky rice, Thai sticky rice. If you don't know how to cook sticky rice, don't worry, I have many ways to cook it on my website, so you can go and see which one suits what you have in your kitchen. It's very, very simple. Okay, let's taste it. This is so beautiful. I don't want to destroy it, but I guess I'll have to. Take some laab on your plate. This is a dish worth sharing with a group of people. Take any vegetable to your taste.
Let's say you want a cucumber. You can eat them together or just snack on cucumber, but it's very tasty. So delicious. Few things in life can compare to well- cooked laab and sticky rice. Mm. Yes, glutinous rice is eaten with your hands. You can make a small ball and dip it in laab if you like. Very tasty. That's all. The recipe, as always, will be on hot thai kitchen.com along with answers to questions you may have had but that I didn't cover. I will try to answer them in the recipe post. Special thanks to all of our Patreon members who help support the show.
Thank you very much for watching and see you next time. Sawaddi ka.
