Sharmila on Food

Laab love

I have mentioned my love of minced pork, and minced meats in general, before.  I’m pretty sure there isn’t a mince dish I don’t love.  Keema, burgers, ragu - give me mince and I’ll generally be happy.  Add to that list laab.  I love laab, I really do.  It’s a Thai dish of minced up meat (I generally find it to be chicken or pork) dressed with ground roasted rice, a ton of sliced up shallot, chilli (lots of chilli), lime juice, fish sauce and coriander.  That is just an approximation.  I am sure the variations on laab are endless, and I know some are cooked (the meat poached), and in others the meat is not.  Regardless, it’s a fantastic dish, especially when served up with some sticky rice on the side.

You can probably discern that laab is quite a zingy dish from the above description.  I add finely shredded lime leaves which amps that up a bit further.  I recently came across a recipe that took laab in to a different direction though.  Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet is a brilliant book by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, which traces their travels through South East Asia.  Alongside the more typical laab, I found a recipe for Shan style laab.  Rather than zing, this is an altogether darker, deeper affair, where the pork is fried, and there is an absence of lime.  I had to try it.

The recipe involves dry roasting garlic and pounding/processing alongside a number of different aromatics.  This in itself changes the flavour profile of this laab.  This was tasty stuff. However, it didn’t have that wack of flavour that makes laab such an amazingly, vibrant dish.  I secretly snuck in some finely shredded lime leaves (don’t tell the authenticity police).  However, I would urge you to try this - it is tasty, as well as a more straightforward laab.  Mince lovers of the world unite.

Aromatic minced pork, Shan style - taken from Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Serves 4

6-8 garlic cloves, unpeeled

3tbsp minced lemongrass

2 tbsp chopped galangal

6 Thai dried red chillies

1tsp salt

1tbsp dry roasted sesame seeds

2tbsps groundnut oil

Around 6 chopped shallots

500g minced pork

Around 4-5 chopped spring onions, green parts only

Handful of coriander, chopped

Small handful of mint, chopped

1. Heat a heavy frying pan on a medium to high heat.  Add the garlic cloves and dry roast until the skins are well blackened (you may want to open some windows).  When cool enough to handle, peel and place in a large mortar or food processor.  Add lemongrass, galangal, chillies and salt and pound/process to a paste.  Add the sesame seeds, pound/process a little bit again.

2. Heat a heavy frying pan or a wok on a high heat.  When hot, add the oil and swirl to coat.  Add the shallots and reduce the heat to medium.  Stir fry until tender and golden. 

3. Add the chile paste and stir to break up. Add the pork and stir to break up any lumps.  Cook until the mince has changed colour and is all cooked through.  Stir in the spring onions, coriander and half the mint.

4. Serve up and sprinkle with the remaining mint.