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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Lucky laab dish offers taste of Laos


By Carol Devenot

Last month as we cruised from China to Singapore, we stopped and visited Bangkok, Vietnam and Cambodia. We passed Laos, but it was too far from our designated route. Although I physically did not visit this country, I had a taste of Laos brought to me.

I was invited by Paik, my hula sister, to watch a demonstration given by her friend Su (who preferred not to give her last name). As I watched her skilled hands preparing the ingredients, she related the story of how she left Laos to come to America. It was not easy; there were plenty of cultural adjustments to be made.

Su was born in northern Laos in the late 1950s, in a place called Luang Probang. She lived with her family of eight and attended school. In school, she learned to speak English and French. At the age of 18, she was invited by a host family to live in the United States. Traveling alone, through unfamiliar ports of Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan, she arrived in Southern California. After a year of living there, she moved to Hawai'i and stayed with her sister.

Today she lives with her husband in Kalama Valley. They have two grown sons. Reflecting back on her life, she says that sometimes it was difficult to make the transition, but has never regretted it. She still returns to her homeland to visit with her family and enjoys all the delicious and healthy foods like the one she demonstrated, called laab, a favorite in local southeast Asian restaurants. It's a cooling potluck dish for those hot summer nights.

In Laotian, laab means luck. She said that she feels very lucky to live in Hawai'i.

Note: This recipe takes some shopping for most of us. I was able to purchase the lemongrass, galangal, shallots, lime, laab seasoning mix, roasted rice powder, Chinese parsley and mint leaves at the Asian Grocery store. You will be able to find the rest of the ingredients at any supermarket. You can also add star fruit or green mango to the mixture.

SU'S LAAB

  • 1 pound chicken, cooked, chopped (ground turkey and lean pork may be used)

  • 1-3 tablespoons fish sauce to taste

  • 4 stalks of lemongrass; discard tough, dry leaves, use top half, sliced on a 1/8-inch diagonal

  • 1 teaspoon galangal (a ginger-like aromatic, also called ka), skinned and minced

  • 2 shallots, minced

  • 1/3 cup sweet onion (Maui), minced

  • Juice of 1-2 limes to taste

  • 1 teaspoon of laab seasoning mix

  • 2 tablespoons D&D Gold Product Roasted Rice Powder

  • 1/2 cup green onion, sliced in 1/4-inch slices

  • 1/2 cup Chinese parsley, chopped

  • 1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped

  • 3 kaffir lime leaves, sliced fine

  • 1 bunch of romaine lettuce leaves, washed clean

    In a large glass bowl, mix together all of the above ingredients except the lettuce, tasting and correcting seasonings to your preference. You may want more lime or fish sauce.

    In a large round platter, arrange the lettuce leaves in a circle and place the laab mixture in the middle, garnishing with additional mint and parsley. To add color, you can use baby tomatoes or slices of cherry tomatoes as a garnish.

    To eat: Place a few tablespoons of the laab mixture in "the boat" of a piece of romaine, rolling it and munching.

    Makes 8 servings.

  • Per serving: 130 calories, 5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 700 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 11 g protein