A simple Laotian dinner: ginger-lemongrass chicken & spicy mango salad

Lately we’ve been spending time at the LTV studios in East Hampton, taking a Directors’ class and crewing for several shows as we begin contemplating our own TV cooking show. Last week we had the pleasure of meeting Penn Hongthong whose informative “Simple Lao” cooking show has been airing for several years at LTV. We thoroughly enjoyed Penn’s cooking demonstration of traditional Laotian ginger chicken and spicy mango salad. After the show, we were delighted to savor her freshly made recipes, and chat about Laos cuisine and our positive experiences when we traveled to Laos and Luang Prabang a couple of years ago. Laotian cuisine is distinct from other Southeast Asian cuisines and Penn enlightens her viewers wonderfully on the topic, on TV and through her cookbooks. As a tribute to both Laos and Penn’s cooking show, we purveyed the necessary ingredients and replicated Penn’s authentic Laotian dinner while it was fresh in our memory.

Ingredients for Ginger Chicken:

~ 4 thinly pounded chicken breasts
~ 1 lemongrass stalk, white and light green part only,
thinly sliced and chopped in a small food processor
~ 3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
~ 2 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
~ 2 Tbsp soy sauce
~ 2 Tbsp lime juice
~ Salt & pepper to taste
~ 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro plus several sprigs for garnish
~ Lime slices for garnish

Method:

Marinade the chicken breasts in the above ingredients for about a half hour. Get the grill hot and cook both sides of the chicken breasts, turning over several times with tongs. Pounded chicken breasts will cook fast because they’re thinner. Remove from heat when ready, transfer to a cutting board, and slice across the grain into 1 inch wide strips.

Ingredients for Mango Salad:

~ 1 medium mango, not quite ripe, peeled and julienned
~ 8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved
~ 1 cup shredded red cabbage
~ 4 garlic cloves
~ 1-2 bird chiles, finely chopped (either fresh or dried)
~ 1 Tbsp fish sauce
~ 2 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
~ 1 Tbsp lime juice
~ Salt & pepper
~ A pinch of sugar
~ 3-4 mint leaves, chopped

Using a pestle and mortar, crush together all the above ingredients, excluding mango, tomatoes and cabbage (mix garlic, salt & pepper, sugar, mint, fish sauce, lime juice, chiles, and vegetable oil, grinding with pestle). The ground mixture should form a pasty dressing. Add tomatoes and continue to crush all ingredients in the mortar to release the juices, mixing well. In a medium bowl, toss the julienned mango with dressing and tomatoes from mortar. Set aside.

To plate, put a layer of the shredded cabbage on the bottom of two plates. Top with the chicken slices and the mango salad, placing side by side. Sprinkle with abundant chopped cilantro, garnish with lime slices and cilantro sprigs, and enjoy a simple yet delicious Lao dinner. Until next time …  la-gawn.

RSA

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