Northern Thai-style bitter buffalo laap with bile, cow’s gastric juice, and fresh blood
Laap connoisseurs consider the meat of a buffalo superior to that of a cow. Buffalo meat is leaner, less gamey, and often described as sweet. If you can’t get buffalo meat then, by all means, use beef as a substitute. The village men will often use blood, gastric juice, and bile to season the laap to a bitter taste. The use of these ingredients varies depending on one’s personal taste; they can be used lavishly or omitted altogether. Furthermore, this laap dish can be served raw or cooked, and prepared with meat only or including various internal organs such as the liver, kidneys, intestines, and stomach lining (tripe), called in Thai rag or phaa khee riu (ผ้าขี้ริ้ว).
“Bitter to death, I will not protest (ขมตายบ่เอาเรื่อง; khohm dtaai baaw ao reuuang)” is the popular expression used to describe the scrumptious bitter taste of laap with bile. The bitterness of the bile is a source of pleasure: bitterness is associated with medicinal properties and enhances the meat’s inherent sweetness. After all, sweet, bitter, and umami tastes are all triggered by chemical stimulation of the same G-protein-coupled receptors through direct chemical bonding. If you have difficulties sourcing cow’s bile in your area, or find the idea of using it weird or extreme, there is a substitute that you may find more approachable – a Campari liqueur reduction. With this, you can introduce both moderate bitterness and the color of blood to the dish. I also encourage you to experiment with raw meat dishes and bitterness; for example, add the faux bile sauce or Angostura bitters to steak tartare.
A cow’s gastric juices (น้ำเพี้ย ; naam phiia) are obtained by squeezing the contents of the cow’s stomach, usually undigested straw, straining them and bringing to a boil. It is an optional addition to a bitter laap, which adds herbaceous, gamey, and acidic notes to the dish – along with elements of friendship, manly brotherhood and testosterone.
On a cutting board and using a knife, mince the buffalo meat, with or without fresh blood, to a smooth consistency. Do not use a meat grinder or an electric food processor. Set aside.
Prepare the rest of the ingredients:
Thinly slice the shallots lengthwise along the growth axis. Set aside.
Bruise and thinly slice the lemongrass. Set aside.
Prepare the seasoning broth:
Bring a small amount of water or stock to a boil in a pot.
Add fish sauce.
Add phrik laap
Add laap spices mix
Add makwen
Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Adjust the spiciness with ground dried chilies; adjust numbness with makwen; adjust saltiness with either fish sauce or makwen-infused fish sauce; and adjust the spice aroma with the laap spices mix.
Prepare the Campari reduction (faux bile):
In a pot, bring to a boil equal amounts of Campari liqueur and water, on low heat. Reduce the sauce by half, and the alcohol burns away. Allow to cool and set aside.
Prepare the gastric juices (optional):
Strain the cow’s gastric juices.
Bring to a boil. Allow to cool and set aside.
Prepare the herbs:
Thinly slice the spring onion. Set aside.
Roughly chop the coriander leaves. Set aside.
Roughly chop the Vietnamese coriander.
Pick small young mint leaves and use them whole; larger leaves can be hand-torn. Set aside.
Combine the laap:
Combine the minced meat with the sliced lemongrass and shallots in a mixing bowl.
Optional: add fresh blood to your preferred consistency.
Gradually add seasoning broth.
Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Adjust the spiciness with ground dried chilies; adjust numbness with makwen; adjust saltiness with either fish sauce or makwen-infused fish sauce; and adjust the spice aroma with the laap spices mix.
Optional: When you are satisfied with the seasoning, add the bitter elements of your choice to your liking. It can be either cow’s bitter bile, commercial bile products, or faux bile sauce.
Optional: Add the treated gastric juices.
Add the herbs and mix. Keep some for garnish.
Serve raw, or roast in a pan and serve cooked.
Garnish with the remaining herbs.
Serve alongside phak gap laap (ผักกับลาบ) – fresh herbs and vegetables.
Keyword laap (ลาบ)
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This shrimp laap is often served raw but it can be further cooked by roasting or cooking with some liquids, as well as grilling the fish mixture in a banana leaf wrap.
In rural Issan, temples are used as schools, with senior monks providing basic spiritual and secular education to youths. Each dawn, the teenage novice monks, attired in orange robes, walk the village streets with their alms bowls to collect food. Their mothers wake up early, often before sunrise, to prepare food for the monks; a meritorious ritual that weaves together spiritual and maternal care.
Thai Chili Jam – This is a chili jam similar to what is commonly sold under the name of roasted chili paste (naam phrik phao; น้ำพริกเผา). It is widely used as a condiment in salad dressings, soups, and seasoning for stir-fried dishes. I like to have control over my pantry ingredients, so I always use homemade naam phrik phao. Furthermore, since it is a basic ingredient used in so many dishes, anything less than the best will drastically impair the quality of your dishes.
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When you design or build a new menu for an event or restaurant or even prepare for dinner with friends.
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