Awesome Thai Food

Laab Gai is a popular Thai dish that originated from the north east of Thailand, or E-Sarn Province. E-Sarn food is typically spicy and full of robust flavor. This particular dish can be eaten alone or with rice. It is traditionally served with sticky rice, typical of E-Sarn food.

Ingredients

• 500 grams (12 ounces) ground chicken
• 100 grams chicken organs such as intestine, gizzard, and liver, etc. thinly sliced and scalded till cooked (optional)
• ½ cup fried chicken skin
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 4 Tbsp fish sauce
• 4-5 Tbsp lemon juice
• 4 Tbsp ground roasted-rice (see the detail below)
• 1 ½ Tbsp ground dried red chili
• ½ cup thinly sliced shallots
• 1 ½ cup mixed chopped green onion, chopped coriander, chopped mint leaves, and chopped long coriander (spiny coriander)
• Fresh vegetables to accompany such as cucumber, cabbage, long yard bean, mint, long coriander, and lettuce, etc…

(You always can increase/decrease all the amount of ingredients according to your own preference).

How to do…
1. Heat the chicken stock in a medium sized pot, and then add the ground chicken into the boiling pot. Stir well and let it cook for a few minutes until the chicken is done. Set it aside.

2. Drain the water from the chicken. Put the cooked chicken into the mixing bowl and allow the chicken to cool down.

3. Add the cooked chicken organs (if used), sliced shallots, chopped green onions, coriander, mint leaves, and long coriander into the mixing bowl.

4. Season with lemon juice, fish sauce, ground dry red chili and stir. At this point, taste it and see if you want to add more seasoning ingredients to suit your taste. You may use more or less than the recommended amount depending on your own preferences.

5. Add the fried chicken skin and ground roasted rice to the chicken mixture (we add those last because they will keep the crunchiness and also not allow the rice to absorb all the water from Laab). Mix well and serve with fresh vegetables as mentioned above. Eat with rice or sticky rice.

How to make Ground Roasted Rice
Set the pan over the high heat. Add 1 cup of uncooked glutinous rice into the hot pan. Keep stirring until the rice becomes dark brown or burnt looking. Set it asides and let it cool down. Grind the rice to a fine powder by using either a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.