Every week I plan a menu. It helps me eat better, save money on groceries, and allows for me to try out new recipes without running to the store after work for last minute items. It makes cooking semi-complicated dishes on the weekdays possible and a lot more enjoyable.
Last night I decided upon Laab, a northeast Thai dish that is typically served as a part of a set, which makes me love it even more. There is something about compartmentalized meals that need assembly right before you eat them; it is the icing on the cake. A nice pairing for the Laab would be green papaya salad and sticky rice. In the case of last night’s dinner we had the Laab and the sticky rice but due to a lack of green papaya at the H mart the papaya salad will be another day.
Laab generally consists of lemongrass, shallots, garlic paste, fish sauce (3 crabs preferably), fresh lime juice, mint, cilantro, ground turkey (or pork,chicken, lamb, even liver)
and topped with chopped peanuts and fresh basil.
Cabbage leaves can also be served with the dish. You can roll the sticky rice and laab into the leaf like a summer roll or serve it like a salad atop the greens. Either way, the cabbage adds a cool, fresh crispiness to an otherwise spicy dish.
*Tonight we tried the same recipe, only with ground tempeh (pictured below) and I must say it tasted even better. I have had this recipe on file for quite some time from Use Real Butter.
bullinthekitchen 