Lao Laab Taco
This is a modern Lao American creation using the national dish of Laos, laab and marrying it with the form of a taco made of fried rice paper. It is topped with avocado that helps cool off the spice of the bird eye chili pepper.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1lb ground pork
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp padaek (unfiltered fish sauce)
- ½ tsp MSG (optional)
- 1 tsp ground dried bird eye chili pepper
- 1 tbsp roasted sticky rice powder
- ½ tbsp lime juice, ¼ whole lime
- 1 tbsp galangal, minced
- ½ tbsp makrut lime leaves
- ½ cup mint leaves
- ½ cup bunch green onions, diced
- ½ cup bunch cilantro, diced
- ¼ cup shallots, thinly diced
- 1 whole avocado, diced
- 1 whole cucumber, diced
- 12 sheets rice paper sheets
Instructions
- 1
Place the rice paper sheets on a taco mold and fry it at 350F for a few seconds until all sides are crispy.
- 2
Heat a pan with vegetable oil until it is very hot. Place the ground pork in the pan and sprinkle some msg then saute until well cooked. Make sure to continually break up the meat so it does not clump together. Let the pork cool down.
- 3
Wash and prepare all the fresh vegetables and herbs. Mince the galangal and lime leaves. Dice up the green onions, shallots, avocado, and cilantro. Hand pluck the mint leaves and keep the whole leaves in tack.
- 4
Place the ground pork in a large bowl. Add the fish sauce, padaek, pepper, sticky rice powder, and mix well. Toss in the galangal, lime leaves, green onion, cilantro, and shallots and gently toss. Add the mint leaves at the end and gently toss. Add leftover fat juice from the pork if you want it more wet.
- 5
Assemble the taco: grab the shell and add the laab, cucumbers, avocado, and squeeze of lime and enjoy!