Lao Pon Pa With Basa Fish

                                 

                 Ingredients

4 big basa fish cutlets

1/2 cup paedek (fermented fish sauce)

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups water

4 big red chillies, sliced

4 lemongrass stalks, smashed

9 garlic cloves, 3 smashed, 6 left whole

4 red shallots (or 1 big red onion), sliced into quarters if using a red onion

5 Thai bird's eye chillies

1 dessertspoon of palm or raw sugar (optional if you like it)

coriander leaves, for garnish

whole dried chillies, for garnish

plenty of yummy sticky rice, to serve :) :) :)

                                                                   Equipment For The Recipe

Lao mortar and pestle

Step 1: Roast your bird's eye chillies, 6 whole garlic cloves, and red shallot, or red onion, until crisp and well cooked. Leave to cool.

Step 2: In a cooking pot, put your fish, padaek, lemongrass, 3 smashed garlic cloves, big red chillies, salt, water boil the fish until cooked and fragrant. Leave to cool.

Step 3: Remove the fish from the broth, but keep the broth for later use. Remove the bones.

Step 4: Pound your roasted ingredients into a paste with the mortar and pestle. Add your fish, pound a little, and add 1/2 cup of the broth and keep pounding until a nice slightly course mixture.

Step 5: Pour out onto a serving dish and garnish with whole dried chillies and coriander to make it look pretty hehe :). Serve with plenty of hot sticky rice and enjoy. :D :D :D