Passport & Plate - Oua Si Khai: Stuffed Lemongrass
Laos | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 5 photos
Ingredients
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 to 6 medium spring onions, roughly chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup roughly chopped coriander
1 kaffir lime leaf, finely sliced
1 heaped teaspoon of salt
200g of chicken, beef or pork very finely chopped or minced
10-12 stalks of lemongrass, outside leaves removed
2 eggs, lightly beaten with salt
1 cup of oil for frying
How to prepare this recipeInstructions:
• With a mortar and pestle, pound to combine the garlic, spring onions, coriander, kaffir lime leaf and salt. A food processor will not release the flavours as well.
• Add meat and pound well.
• Using a sharp knife, starting about 1cm from the base of the lemongrass, make a cut lengthwise right through the stalk for about 4-5 cm, ensuring that both ends of the stalk remain intact, as these ends hold the filling in place. Rotate the stalk a quarter turn and repeat. This will give you a central cavity or cage in which to hold the filling.
• Use your thumbs to open the cage and make a basket shape. Insert a small spoonful of the meat mixture within this central core and shape smoothly with your hands. If you wish you can cut fine strips from the discarded outer leaves to tie around the lemongrass, assisting to retain its shape whilst cooking.
• Dip the stuffed lemongrass pieces in the beaten egg.
• Heat a wok or large frying pan. Add the oil and fry until the meat is cooked through.
• Drain on absorbent paper and serve.
Vegetarian option: Substitute the meat with mashed potato or tofu, adding some roasted rice powder for texture.
The story behind this recipeI used to make paper lanterns as a child. They were quite easy, as long as I remembered to stop cutting before I got near the paper’s edge. My first attempt at making lemongrass lanterns was less successful. It ended up in a bin. I was in Tamarind restaurant’s morning cooking class on the outskirts of Luang Prabang, my second time in Luang Prabang, my first learning to cook Lao food. Our instructor Chai had taken us to the morning market, where he interspersed a witty commentary with insights into the herbs and vegetables used in Lao cooking. He led us past trays of candyfloss-coloured eggs, women arranging tomatoes into triangles like the balls on a snooker table and heaped fragrant kaffir lime leaves, tied in bundles and laid out on large mats.
The cooking school was housed in an open air thatched veranda overlooking a lotus pond. Twelve of us were paired off and stationed around a u-shaped work area to make each of four dishes. Chai swapped his leather jacket for an apron and chef’s bandana and set about the serious business of teaching us how to cook.
Our second dish was Oua Si Khai or Stuffed Lemongrass. My first attempt at scoring a piece of lemongrass ended with me chopping it in half, while my second resulted in a fairly lopsided lantern. But I persevered with the filling and was pounding minced chicken, kaffir lime leaf, garlic, spring onion, coriander and salt in the mortar and pestle, feeling a bit like a contestant on Masterchef, when something dropped from the roof into the mortar and started wriggling around. “It’s a gecko”, I screamed, jumping back. The usually cool as a cucumber Chai looked horrified. “It’s not a gecko. This one lizard. Never happened before”, he mumbled, looking up at the ceiling as he spirited the bowl away. Within minutes he and his assistant had come back with a new bowl of perfect filling for my misshapen lantern. “Lizard is lucky”, Chai said, smiling nervously. “Luck-y, will bring good luck”. It was my favourite dish.
