Chicken Larb (Laap Gai)

I love Asian salad's of all kinds, and Laap Gai is definitely one of my favorites! If you've ever been to an authentic Laos or Thai restaurant, chances are, you've probably come across this minced meat salad on the menu.

My version uses freshly minced galangal and minced lemongrass to kick things up a notch. The Khmer girl in me, just wont allow me to make this recipe without it!

Give my recipe a go, and you will not be disappointed! :)

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound of ground chicken (may sub with ground pork)

1 tsp of fresh galangal minced

2 Tablespoons of fresh lemongrass minced

1/2 of a shallot sliced

4-5 sprigs of mint chopped

4 sawtooth coriander chopped

handful of cilantro chopped

half of a green onion chopped (green part only)

2-3 limes

1 Tablespoon of fish sauce

2 teaspoons of pahok/padek ( I prefer the liquid kind for this particular salad)

1/2 teaspoon of sugar

1/4 tsp of msg

1/2 teaspoon of dried chili flakes (or to taste)

2 Thai chili peppers finely chopped (or to taste)

1/4 cup of sticky rice/glutinous rice

You will also need:

extra virgin olive oil

a couple of Tablespoons of water

Garnishes:

sliced cucumbers

sliced jalapenos

romain lettuce

bean sprouts




INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Start off by dry roasting your sticky rice in a skillet on medium low heat. Stir the rice often, so that it browns evenly. This process should take about 10-15 minutes. Once done, place toasted rice in a mini blender or bullet, and process until ground. Set aside.

2. Take your ground chicken, and give it a little chop on your cutting board. This part is optional. I don't like huge chunks of chicken in my salad. :)

3. With your skillet on medium high heat, drizzle in some olive oil. Add in your ground chicken, a few Tablespoons of water, and cook until no longer pink, or completely cooked through.

4. Drain your chicken in a colander and place it back into the same skillet. (Make sure you've turned off your stove)

5. Add in your galangal, lemongrass, dried chili flakes, fish sauce, msg, and sugar. Mix well.

6. Transfer your chicken into a large mixing bowl, and add in your fresh herbs, limes, fresh chili, pahok, and mix well. Taste check for seasoning. Add your toasted rice powder (to taste) last. Toss again, and serve immediately.

Asian Cucumber Salad

If you love papaya salad, then you will most definitely, LOVE this cucumber salad! It's easy, fresh, and takes little time to prepare! It's a little salty, tangy, and suuuuper spicy! Of course, you can control just how spicy you like it, but I say...GO BIG, OR GO HOME.

INGREDIENTS:

2 large cucumbers sliced julienne (about 14 ounces)

2 small pieces of garlic

2-20 red Thai chili peppers

1/2 tsp of chili flakes

1/4 tsp of shrimp paste

1 Tbsp of liquid prahok

1 Tbsp of good fish sauce

1/2 Tbsp of sugar

1 whole lime PLUS a half

cherry tomatoes, halved

mortar and pestle

msg (optional)


INSTRUCTIONS:

Place your garlic cloves into your mortar and begin to smash them, just until you can easily remove the peel. Add in your chili peppers, chili flakes, and shrimp paste, and pound them until you've created a paste. Add in your tomatoes, and gently pound them until you've released most of the juices from them. Add in your prahok, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and msg. Add in your cucumbers, and gently pound it, until combined. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve immediately!

Asian Beef Salad (spicy beef larb)

INGREDIENTS:

about 2 pounds of sirloin steak

2 green onions, finely chopped

1 whole small red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 shallot, thinly sliced

8-10 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped

1 stalk of lemongrass, trimmed and finely chopped

2 slices of galangal, finely minced

12 sprigs of mint(or more)

12 sprigs of cilantro(or more)

8 sprigs of Vietnamese coriander

2-3 tsp of dried red pepper flakes

8-10 thai red chili, finely chopped(or to taste)

1/4 cup of good fish sauce(or to taste)

a pinch of salt

1/2 tsp of msg(optional)

3 large limes(more or less depending on preference)

Pahok or padek(optional)

1/4 cup of uncooked sticky or glutinous rice to make toasted rice powder(use 2-3 Tbsp in the recipe)

cooked, thinly sliced tripe(optional)


DIRECTIONS:

1. Take your uncooked sticky rice and place it in a small pan on medium to medium low heat. Dry roast your rice until browned, making sure to stir it occasionally. Once toasted, place into food processor or grinder until mostly fine. Set aside.
2. Wash and pat dry your sirloin steaks. Lightly salt and pepper them. Add a little oil into a large skillet and fry them only until medium rare. My steaks were thin so I only did 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove them from heat and allow them to cool completely before slicing into them. Once cooled, slice against the grain and once more to make them into tiny bite size pieces.
3. Add all of your above ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add 2-3 Tbsp of the toasted rice powder last. Mix well using some food safe gloves and taste check. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve same day along with some sliced cucumbers and fresh bean sprouts.

Notes: This recipe makes quite a bit so feel free to cut recipe in half!

Papaya Salad

Papaya salad is a staple amongst most Cambodian homes. There are many different ways to make it...it all boils down to taste and preference. Thai style has just the basics like fish sauce, lime, sugar, and chili peppers. Some people like to add peanuts, basil, or even use Chinese long beans.  Cambodian and Laos people like to add prahok or padek which is a fermented fish sauce that is used as the base of the salad. I have many different variations of prahok sauce that I make, where I combine many different types of fermented pastes. So feel free to experiment and use whatever you have in your pantry. The sauce can vary from dark in color to lighter depending on what brand I use, or how much water I add. Some people don't even cook their sauces before they make the salad and just add it straight into the papaya right away. My most favorite way to make it, is actually with pickled baby crab. Haha. You are either, one: completely grossed out by what I just mentioned or two: salivating at the thought of tiny crab legs poking out of the spicy and sour goodness. Lol. I can't get that locally but if you can find it, it's also a good addition to your papaya salad. Either way, this recipe is a great recipe for beginners...make sure to taste check and adjust seasoning as needed.

 

Ingredients:

10 ounces of shredded GREEN papaya(you may add in some carrots sliced julienne)

some cherry tomatos, halved

2 garlic cloves, peeled

Thai chili peppers

1 lime

1 1/2 tsp of sugar

1 Tbsp of Prahok sauce(recipe below)

1 1/2 Tbsp of good fish sauce

 

For the Prahok sauce:

1 Tbsp of shrimp paste

1/3 cup of fermented fish paste(mud fish/prahok)

1/4 cup of fermented fish paste(mud fish/prahok) boneless

1 cup of water

1/2 tsp of MSG(optional)

[caption id="attachment_1509" align="alignnone" width="640"] Mmm...my papaya salad served with baked chicken wings, which is one of the most common pairings in Cambodian culture.[/caption]

 

Here is the link to my baked chicken wings recipe.

Combine in a saucepan, ingredients for the prahok sauce. Mix well. On medium heat, cook the prahok sauce, making sure to keep it a rolling boil for about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and strain. Set aside and allow to cool completely before using.

In a mortar and pestle, add in 2 garlic cloves along with some chili peppers. Just one or two if you do not like it spicy. Pound it well until almost like a paste. Add in your shredded papaya, prahok sauce, sugar, fish sauce, and half of a lime(including it's pulp). Pound again and use a spoon while your smashing it to help you incorporate all of your ingredients together. Taste check. Adjust seasonings as needed. Remove onto serving dish. Repeat process.

Serve immediately. If you have any leftover prahok sauce, make sure to put it in an airtight container. Keep in your refrigerator for up to one month. Papaya salad is also delicious with a side of green cabbage or water spinach(trokuon). Don't forget to check out my recipe for Asian baked bbq chicken(recipe can be found here)
which is my favorite thing to eat with papaya salad.

Here's the link to my kick-ass, julienne peeler: Kuhn Rikon Julienne Peeler (Google Affiliate Ad)

Asian calamari salad

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of fresh or frozen squid, cleaned
Mint
Cilantro
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 Tbsp of finely minced galangal
1/2 stalk of lemongrass, finely chopped
about half of a red onion, thinly sliced
half of a shallot, thinly sliced
the juice from 2-3 limes
fish sauce
salt
msg(optional)

Notes: This is a super easy salad to make. I didn't give exact measurements on everything because it's a salad and you can taste it as you go along. I highly recommend against buying the frozen, pre-sliced/pre-cleaned squid because the texture of the salad will not be the same. Watch the video below to learn how to clean squid, if you don't know to already! Thanks for watching! :)

Spicy Summer Mango Salad

Mango salad is just perfect for a nice and sunny day like today... but then again, ANYTHING over 50 degrees is NICE here in Washington. Birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and if you drive down to the Tacoma Waterfront, you can catch a glimpse of women in tight booty shorts, sporting sunglasses with a G logo on them(G for GUESS not GUCCI), pushing their strollers, on a man hunt for perspective baby daddies. Ah, yes, that's when you know...SUMMER HAS ALMOST ARRIVED.

I know some people like to make mango salad the same way that you would make papaya salad, but come on now, if I wanted papaya salad then I would MAKE PAPAYA SALAD, right? This side dish is easy, breezy, and tastes wonderful on a hot day cause it's so fresh and definitely satisfying.

You will need:

2 pds of green mango sliced julienne( I used 3 green mangos for this recipe)

2 carrots sliced julienne 

2-3 cloves of garlic

1/3 cup of chopped green onion(more for garnish)
Chopped fresh chili to taste( I used 4 of them cause I like it spicy)

1/4 cup of chives cut into 1-1/2 inch strips

1 1/2 T of fish sauce

1/2 tsp of salt

1 T of sugar

2 T of water

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for 1 hr. Taste check and see if it's to your liking. I actually ended up adding a few more pinches of sugar but that's my own personal preference. Tastes great with most fish dishes like the recipe I posted on here or with baked/fried fish. I like to eat it plain sometimes with just rice and it's still good! Also feel free to add fresh herbs if you have it like cilantro, parsley, or mint. 

Notes: You can find most julienne peelers at some supermarkets and Asian markets. My julienne peeler is stainless steel and is manufactured by Kuhn Rikon which I purchased from Amazon.com.