2/13/11

Ground Turkey Laap

There's a great article in this month's (Feb 2011) Food & Wine magazine about the cuisine of Laos, a small country nestled between Vietnam and Thailand. Each of the recipes featured struck my fancy but I selected this simple ground turkey dish to start with.


It's light and healthy with fresh, bright flavors bursting through. I loved it as an appetizer in crunchy Belgian endive cups and tomorrow I will enjoy the leftovers atop some sticky brown rice, perhaps with a dash of soy sauce and some of my favorite home made Sriracha sauce.


It was so quick and easy to make - something you would never believe from tasting it. One of the most interesting things about the dish to me was the technique of toasting a small amount of rice and then grinding it in a spice grinder/coffee grinder. You add the rice powder to the dish at the end and it helps to gently bind the flavors together.

Ground Turkey Laap
(adapted from Food & Wine)

Serves 4 as an entree, more as an appetizer

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon long-grain white rice
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground all-natural organic turkey breast (white meat)
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons chicken stock
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Asian fish sauce (I used Thai)
Salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Juice of 1 lime
2 large stalks lemongrass, tender pale inner core only, minced
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 cup fresh chopped mint
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
thinly sliced green onions (optional)
Belgian endive leaves (optional)
extra lime wedges for serving



In a large skillet, toast the dry rice over high heat turning in the skillet until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Remove the rice and place in the spice grinder and let it cool. Once cooled, grind the rice to a powder, then set aside. You could probably also use a blender.



Return the skillet to the stove, lower the heat to medium high and add the oil. Next add the turkey and cook, breaking it up with a spatula while it cooks. Cook until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken stock and stir, continuing to cook until bubbling, less than a minute.

Remove from the heat and stir in the fish sauce. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the lime juice. Let stand for 5 minutes, then add the lemongrass, shallot, cilantro, mint, crushed red pepper, rice powder, and green onion if desired. Stir and serve in endive cups or with rice.

Ground Turkey Laap


9 comments:

  1. Have to try this soon! Thanks for sharing this recipe!

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  2. Looks great, Veronica. I love all the different flavours here!

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  3. What an interesting recipe. The ground, toasted rice is a neat finishing touch.

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  4. Wonderful as always! Love the photos and it is awesome recipe!!!

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  5. This sounds interesting!!!! Love how fresh this must taste!

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  6. Veronica - this looks fantastic. So many of my favourite flavours in this dish - I would like some right now for my lunch :-)
    Turkey, not so readily available here, unless you buy a whole bird usually. Occasionally we can get the breast, but you usually need to take out a mortgage to afford it. Still I imagine chicken would make a perfectly good substitute in this.
    Thanks for sharing it - and more beautiful photos too.
    Sue xo

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  7. I am looking around for weekend and next week meal ideas, and this looks fabulous! I love endive and filling them with this sounds great...my son and his girlfriend are leaving for Korea to teach English, so I will enjoy the visit one day and all the foods ideas like this...

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  8. Want your turkey be extra juicy and tasty. Before cooking apply a beauty paste made up of:
    1/2 to 3/4 cup butter or margarine
    3 Tbsp flour
    2 Tbsp dry mustard
    Contrary to normal advice cook it breast-side down.
    Enjoy

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