Lao Larp

Here is another Lao recipe that is easy to vary. You can substitue chicken or tofu for the fish. It’s a refreshing main course salad with crunch and different levels of taste. Tanmak cooking school in Luang Prabang, uses shredded banana flower to give some bite but I prefer to use quinoa or another grain. The browned rice powder is important but easy to make at home (see instructions below).

Lao Larp
Serves 2

Ingredients:

– 200 gr. white fish, such as dore or snapper
– 2 Tbl. stock or water
– 1 Tbl. lime juice

– 2 Tbl. cooked quinoa or other grain or banana flower, very thinly sliced
– 2 kaffir lime leaves, thinly slivered
– 1 green onion, thinly sliced
– 2 shallots, thinly sliced
– 2 small cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
– 1 handful of coriander leaf, finely chopped
– 2 stalks lemongrass, the white part only thinly sliced

– 1/4 tsp. salt
– 1 tsp. ground cayenne or 1 small fresh chili seeded and finely chopped
– 1/4 tsp. fish sauce
– 6 leaves of rucola, torn by hand
– 1 Tbl. rice powder (see note below)
– 1 Tbl. crisply fried garlic slices (you can purchase these in the supermarket for easier prep)
– 1Tbl. crisply fried shallot slices (you can purchase these in the supermarket for easier prep)
– 3 branches coriander leaf for garish
– 8-10 lettuce leaves, washed, drained and chilled

Directions:

Put the fish and stock or water into a cold wok with a lid. Add half the lime juice and turn the heat to low. Cover the wok and cook the fish until done but not dry. When the fish is done remove it from the wok and chop it into small bite sized pieces. Put the fish in a bowl big enough for all the ingredients.

Add the quinoa or banana flower and mix well. Add the slivered lime leaves, green onion, shallot and garlic slices, the coriander leaf and the lemongrass. Mix this well.

In a small bowl mix the salt, chili or cayenne, fish sauce and mix this well before pouring over the fish mixture. At this point you can hold the larp until ready to serve.

When ready add the torn rucola leaves, rice powder, the fried garlic and shallot slices and toss until everything is well mixed. Put the larp on a serving plate and garnish with the coriander branches.

Serve crisp lettuce leaves along side the larp, Each diner takes a leaf tops it with some of the larp, rolls it up and eats it.

Note: To make the rice powder. In a heavy skillet dry roast white sticky rice or long grained rice until golden brown, stirring constantly. Cool the roasted rice and then grind in a blender, spice mill or in a mortar and pestle. It keeps for a long time in an airtight container.

Mi khuaam suk dan a han klong than! (Which means bon appetit in Lao)

Salad Ikan Lao
Untuk 2 orang

Bahan Bahan:

– 200 gr. ikan – dipotong sedang ( pakai 1 irisan ikan dore atau snapper, kalau tidak ada ikan bisa pakai ayam atau tahu)
– 2 Tbl. air sayur/stok
– 1 Tbl. jus jeruk nipis

– 2 Tbl. quinoa, yang sudah dimasak atau bisa pakai bunga pisang yang sudah dimasak, diiris setipis mungkin
– 2 daun jeruk, diiris setipis mungkin
– 1 daun bawang , gunakan sampai batang yang putih, di iris tipis
– 2 bawang merah, diiris setipis mungkin
– 2 siung kecil bawang putih, diiris tipis
– 1 genggam daun ketumbar, di potong halus (pakai daunnya saja)
– 2 batang serai, diiris setipis mungkin, bagian yang putih saja

– 1/4 tsp. garam
– 1 tsp. bubuk cabe kering atau 1 cabe segar
– 1/4 tsp. kecap ikan
– 6 daun rucola
– 1 Tbl. bubuk beras – lihat dibawah cara membuatnya
– 1 Tbl. bawang putih , yang sudah digoreng
– 1Tbl. bawang merah , yang sudah digoreng
– 3 cabang daun ketumbar untuk hiasan
– 8-10 daun salad, dicuci bersih , keringkan, dan dinginkan

Cara Membuat :

Taruh ikan dan air/stok di dalam wok. Tambahkan setengah Tbl. jus jeruk nipis, hidupkan api. Gunakan api kecil. Tutup wok dan masak ikan sampai matang (jangan terlalu kering ). Saat masak ikan, sekali sekali diaduk agar ikan matang merata. Waktu ikan matang keluar dari api dan dipotong kecil. Masukkan potongan ikan kedalam mangkok.

Tambahkan kedalam mangkok irisan bunga pisang dan campur bagus. Tambahkan irisan daun jeruk, daun bawang, bawang merah dan bawang putih, daun ketumbar, serai. Aduk sampai semua bahan tercampur bagus.

Tambahkan garam, bubuk cabe kering atau cabe segar, dan kecap ikan. Aduk lagi sampai semua bahan tercampur rata. Biarkan disamping.

Beberapa saat sebelum makan, tambahkan rucola, bubuk beras, bawang merah dan putih yang sudah digoreng. Aduk pelan sampai semua bahan tercampur bagus. Tambahkan sisa jus jeruk nipis, aduk lagi.

Taruh atas piring yang bagus, Hiasi dengan cabang daun ketumbar.

Cara bikin bubuk beras: Panggang beras didalam wajan sampai berwarna kecoklat. Dinginkan. Bikin bubuk/haluskan, bisa gunakan “alat” untuk bikin kopi bubuk atau bisa gunakan ulekan, diulek sampai halus.

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