Makes
4 lettuce wrapsIngredients
Method
- Prep. Mix the ground meat with the salt and 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce (reserve remaining tablespoon for the dressing). Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Slice the lemongrass thinly, mince the galangal, roughly chop the cilantro, culantro, mint, and spring onions, and toss them together. Squeeze the juice from the lime and set aside.
- Fire up. Prepare a grill for 2-zone cooking by placing a chimney full of pre-heated charcoal briquets on one side of the grill’s charcoal grate in order to create direct and indirect cooking zones. Open the grill vents fully for high-heat cooking (a.k.a. Warp 10) on the indirect side, at least 450°F (232°C). On a gas grill, adjust the temperature knobs so that one half of the grill is off and the other half is as hot as possible.
- Cook. Place the chile, whole shallots and whole garlic cloves directly onto the hottest part of the grill paying attention so the skins blacken but do not burn completely. Remove burnt skins of garlic and shallot, remove stems and seeds from chiles. Pound these together in a mortar and pestle or mince together with a knife. Set aside.
- Place a cast iron pan or wok on the grate over the highest heat, and allow to heat until very hot. Add the marinated beef and stir frequently until cooked through with no pink remaining. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In large mixing bowl, combine the minced garlic/chile/shallot mixture, chopped herbs, cooked beef, remaining tablespoon of fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and roasted rice powder. Mix well and taste, adding more fish sauce, lime juice, or sugar as desired to balance the flavors.
- Serve. Place on a large platter with the banana flower (or cabbage) and fresh green beans on side. Serve with whole green lettuce leaves on separate plate, for wrapping, Mound 1 to 2 heaping tablespoons of the beef mixture atop a lettuce leaf and top with a little sticky rice. You should be able to wrap up the lettuce leaf and eat comfortably with one hand.
Notes
About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.
About the ground beef. Ground pork, chicken, turkey, fish, or veggies such as tofu or mushrooms may be substituted for the beef. In Laos, this dish is most often made with ground water buffalo.
About the fresh galangal. Substitute fresh ginger if you can’t find galangal.
About the culantro leaves. These are also known as "sawtooth” leaves, and you should be able to find them at an Asian or Latin market; sometimes also known as "recao." If unavailable, just use more cilantro.
About the fresh red chile pepper. Laotians would use 3 or 4 peppers, but for most people, 1 or 2 will be sufficient to get the kick.
About the toasted rice powder. This may be purchased at most Asian markets. To make at home, toast ¼ cup of sticky rice and grind finely.
About the fresh banana flower. You may be able to find this at an Asian market. Or substitute half of a small white cabbage; Note: this is optional, for decoration. You may also add sliced cumbers and tomato to the platter, for wrapping up in the lettuce leaves.