Lao Style Beef Salad, 'Pra Nuea'

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This dish is similar to the common laab dishes, except that the meat is not cooked (or only very lightly cooked). It originated in Laos (hence the alternative name of laab lao), and is the common form found in rural parts of the Isan (North East Thailand). It could also be made with pork or chicken, and we have succesfully made it with [jumbo] shrimp, crayfish, crab and lobster.

Ingredients

1/2 pound ground beef
lime juice (see method)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2-3 tablespoons ground dried red chilis
1-2 teaspoons Thai pepper powder
1/2 cup shallots, very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon lemongrass, bruised and sliced paper thin
4-5 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
1 tablespoon khao koor (see below)
chopped spring onions, coriander/cilantro leaves as garnish;
a lettuce leaf for the serving plate, and a selection of sliced vegetable crudites to accompany.

Khao Koor: get a medium sized wok fairly hot, and add a couple of tablespoons of uncooked jasmine rice. Keep in movement until the rice starts to turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Grind to a fairly coarse powder in a spice mill, or a mortar and pestle, or a pepper mill or a good clean coffee grinder (all of these work well but keep in mind that a coffee grinder tends to grind too fine--the powder should retain some "texture") We also offer ready-made Khao Koor in premium quality Hand Brand.

Method

Place the ground meat in a mixing bowl, and thoroughly mix with fresh lime juice, and leave to marinade for an hour. Take the marinaded meat and knead it, much as you would if making pizza dough, squeezing thoroughly to drive out as much blood and other juice as possible, either in a muslin bag or a very fine seive such as a chinois. Drain thoroughly, and return to the mixing bowl, marinade again in fresh lime juice.

Repeat this process 3 or 4 times, then set aside, covered in a cool place to marinade a final time (it is not kneaded after the final marination-- to underline the point it should be kneaded and drained 3 or 4 times, then marinaded once more).

At this stage you may, if you wish, stir fry the meat very briefly (it should still be very rare).

Finally combine the meat with the other ingredients: it should be hot and spicy, but not inedibly so, so add the chili powder in stages, tasting as you go.

Allow to stand for an hour before serving. To serve turn it onto a lettuce leaf on a serving platter.

This dish goes best with sticky rice, which can be used as an eating utensil: form a ball of rice and use it to pick up a little of the spiced meat. The rice and vegetable crudites will ameliorate the heat. Serve with the usual Thai table condiments.

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