Today was cooking class at Tamnak Lao Restaurant. It was awesome. We went to the market in the morning (I'll be back, they've got tons of clothes to replace the ones the wash destroyed), and got to see all the crazy Lao foods you can't get back in the states (mmmm...buckets of fish that have been sitting out for months...pa daek smells delicious...). Then we headed back and saw 8 dishes demonstrated, tasted them all, and then proceeded to make five of them on our own. Needless to say, it was wall to wall eating most of the day. Nice. I even got to make my favorite, larp (sometimes called laap). It's a ground meat salad with lemongrass, garlic, and herbs. Complicated, but delish. I also had my first experience with jeowbong, a chili paste whose flaming red color had me too scared to try it until he started cooking it - it smelled so delicious I had to have a taste. It's actually pleasantly sweet with a little kick. I'll have to make it for people when I get back. You'll love it.
But I thought some of you might be curious to know what Lao food tastes like, since I've raved about it so much. So I've decided to enclose a recipe! Tamnak Lao gave us all a recipe book to keep, so I thought I'd share their wisdom. You can whip this up (including chopping time) in the time it takes to steam rice!
Khua Maak Kheua Gap Moo (fried eggplant with pork, serves one)
60 grams ground pork (or just a boneless pork chop hacked into tiny pieces)
3 green onions
1 asian eggplant (long eggplant, can also use a regular eggplant/aubergine)
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons oyster sauce (available in Asian section at the supermarket)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2.5 tbsp oil (best is soybean or canola)
1) chop the spring onion, both green and white parts
2) cut the eggplant into thin strips about 2 inches by 1/2 inch
3) heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a wok/frying pan on high until smoking hot, add the eggplant and stir fry until it begins to soften and turn golden, set aside.
4) reduce heat to medium, add garlic and stir until garlic begins to change color
5) add pork and stir fry until cooked through
6) add sugar, salt, oyster sauce, and green onion. Stir thoroughly to mix, then add eggplant. Stir fry until all ingredients are cooked through - hint: don't cook eggplant until it's mush, just until soft
The recipe above only serves one, but can easily be doubled. Serve it with steamed rice - glutenous (a.k.a. "sticky") rice if you can get your hands on it. To go super-Lao style, start dinner with one of those 2-minute vermicelli noodle soup packets you can find in the Asian department at the supermarket (not ramen, the glass noodle kind). Throw in some mint leaves or salad greens just before you eat it, and you've got a 2 course meal that took 20 minutes to make.
Next stop: hiking and elephant riding tomorrow!! This weekend rules!
But I thought some of you might be curious to know what Lao food tastes like, since I've raved about it so much. So I've decided to enclose a recipe! Tamnak Lao gave us all a recipe book to keep, so I thought I'd share their wisdom. You can whip this up (including chopping time) in the time it takes to steam rice!
Khua Maak Kheua Gap Moo (fried eggplant with pork, serves one)
60 grams ground pork (or just a boneless pork chop hacked into tiny pieces)
3 green onions
1 asian eggplant (long eggplant, can also use a regular eggplant/aubergine)
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons oyster sauce (available in Asian section at the supermarket)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2.5 tbsp oil (best is soybean or canola)
1) chop the spring onion, both green and white parts
2) cut the eggplant into thin strips about 2 inches by 1/2 inch
3) heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a wok/frying pan on high until smoking hot, add the eggplant and stir fry until it begins to soften and turn golden, set aside.
4) reduce heat to medium, add garlic and stir until garlic begins to change color
5) add pork and stir fry until cooked through
6) add sugar, salt, oyster sauce, and green onion. Stir thoroughly to mix, then add eggplant. Stir fry until all ingredients are cooked through - hint: don't cook eggplant until it's mush, just until soft
The recipe above only serves one, but can easily be doubled. Serve it with steamed rice - glutenous (a.k.a. "sticky") rice if you can get your hands on it. To go super-Lao style, start dinner with one of those 2-minute vermicelli noodle soup packets you can find in the Asian department at the supermarket (not ramen, the glass noodle kind). Throw in some mint leaves or salad greens just before you eat it, and you've got a 2 course meal that took 20 minutes to make.
Next stop: hiking and elephant riding tomorrow!! This weekend rules!
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