Lao Food: Tum Maak Houng or Green Papaya Salad

Tum Maak Houng has it's origin in Laos and the Isaan part of Thailand. It is one of the most favorite dishes of Laos, beloved by all it's people and those who live abroad will go to great lengths to find the green, unripe papaya.  Eaten throughout the day, as part of a meal or anytime snacking, it is adored by young and old.  Whether you enjoy spicy hot food or not, there's a tum maak houng for you.

Tum maak houng is pounded in a mortar and pestle to meld all its flavors.

It is impossible to nail this down to a single recipe or to describe the flavors of Green Papaya Salad.  Everyone has their own preferences. Even in my own family, we argue about whether it is too spicy, too sweet, not salty enough or maybe it needs a touch of lime.  The flavors we're after are hot, salty, sour and sweet, in that order. That being said, my Dad would turn his nose up at any tum maak houng that contained even one grain of sugar. He liked it hot and salty with chunks of padek and just a touch of lime juice.  My sister Thi makes it super hot, and on the sweet side with padek and tamarind paste.  My sister Li adds tamarind paste but no padek. She uses nam pa or fish sauce instead, making it not as sweet nor as hot.  My version is closer to Li's. 

Homemade Pork Rind - "Kiep Moo"

My share of pork from Walpole Valley Farms included several sheets of pork skin with an inch of fat on them. I knew right away that I would make Kiep Moo with it.  Kiep Moo is the Lao version of pork rind.  Green Papaya Salad and Kiep Moo is my favorite Lao food combination.  Rich, crunchy pork skin is the perfect foil for the spicy, salty, sweet and sour Tum Maak Houng, the Lao name for Green Papaya Salad. 

Kiep Moo (Homemade Pork Rind)

Maple Sesame Noodles

March is maple time in New England. The rolling hills are still covered in snow but the sun is strong and languishing sugar houses are coming alive with the first sap run. The drip, drip, dripping noise in my pails means spring has sprung.

Since I've been tapping and boiling my own sap, there has been no shortage of syrup in my kitchen. In fact, now that the new vintage is flowing, I'm constantly looking for new ways to use the maple syrup, especially last year's supply.

I use maple syrup in everything that calls for sugar or honey.

Sweet and Sour Cucumber

Here's a recipe to get you through the hazy, hot days of summer.

Sweet and Sour Cucumber

In my farmers' market days, I served this relish/salad along side my Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, but this fresh relish really goes with everything. Try it with hot or cold meats, alongside lunch time sandwiches, or all by itself for guilt-free snacking. It is a perfect way to deal with cucumber glut from the garden.

Sweet and Sour Cucumber
4 to 6 small cucumbers, thinly sliced into circles or half moons
1 small onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

Marinade:
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tsp salt

Garnish (optional):
little tiny hot chili peppers (as much as you can take)
cilantro

In a sauce pan over low heat, dissolve sugar in the water, remove from heat and stir in vinegar and salt. Makes two cups.

Put cucumber and onion in a serving bowl, add marinade to cover the vegetables. Garnish as desired. Refrigerate until ready to eat but the flavor improves as it sits. It will keep for about five days in the fridge, except at our house, where it doesn't last that long.

Cook's tips:
Double or triple the marinade, it keeps in the fridge almost indefinitely. Easy and convenient.

Pick cucumbers when they're still small, when the seeds are just starting to form. At this stage they're popping crisp and distinctly sweet.

Spring Roll Lettuce Wrap

Spring roll lettuce wrap for two

When I make spring rolls I will usually double the recipe and stash them away in the freezer. Later in the season when I'm lost in the garden, these spring rolls are a god send.

When the garden is overflowing with salad greens and herbs, is the time to do the Wrap. Decoratively arrange a large platter of your favorite salad vegetables. Mine usually includes some or all of these:

Leaf lettuce
Sprigs of cilantro
Mint leaves
Bean sprouts
Cucumbers, sliced into thin half moons
Thin slices of raw onion
Cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quarters
Cooked rice noodles
Cooked Spring rolls, cut in half or bite size pieces, with kitchen scissors
Spicy Fish Sauce

At the table take a leaf of lettuce and fill it with a couple of cilantro leaves, one or two mint leaves, five or six bean sprouts, cucumber and onion slices, a piece of tomato, a few strands of noodles and a piece of spring roll. The idea is to add a little of everything but keep the bundle small enough to eat in one huge bite.

Wrap lettuce tightly around the whole bundle.

Drizzle with a generous amount of fish sauce.

Lean over your plate as you take a bite for this is not an elegant meal...it'll be messy...but dig in, eat with your fingers, play with your food.

Kitchen tips:
- Bake frozen spring rolls in a preheated 450 F oven for 30 minutes, turning once, until brown and crunchy.
- If you don't happen to have spring rolls lying around, you can wrap with pieces of cooked fish, chicken or beef.
- Spicy fish sauce, in a jar, will keep almost indefinitely in the refrigerator. It can be whatever you need it to be, a condiment, a salad dressing or a dipping sauce.

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad

In the early 60’s the streets of Vientiane were flooded with Vietnamese refugees escaping American bombs. The refugees took to the streets selling food from their home country. Some vendors pushed carts laden with freshly cooked food, while others balanced a long bamboo pole across one shoulder, two round baskets at either end, swaying left and right seemingly weightless. All kinds of food paraded through the streets this way, bells ringing, horns blowing and hawkers shouting their offerings, all vying for attention.

There were exotic sweet and savory morsels wrapped in banana leaves…chunks of ripe papaya and sugar cane piled high over blocks of ice…sticky rice with mangoes …sticky rice with ice cream…fresh and fried spring rolls…Warm and cold salads…iced coffee laced with sweet condensed milk…Silken tofu in soothing ginger syrup… and the list goes on.

It was in this environment of casual eating that I discovered Vietnamese food, and became forever enamored with street food. I was especially fond of bo boon, a one dish meal with rice noodles mixed with salad greens, tossed in a spicy fish sauce, topped with warm curried beef, and sprinkled with peanuts. This is my version of that dish from long ago. It's comfort food in our family and I make it most often in the summer when my garden overflows with all kinds of greens that can go into this salad. It's the ultimate street food and it takes me home.

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad
1 lb Japanese somen noodles

1 – 1 ½ lb flank steak, cut in half length wise, thinly sliced across the grain
1 large onion, cut in half length wise, thinly sliced
3 TBS canola oil
2 TBS fish sauce
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 tsp curry powder
Fresh ground black pepper

12 lettuce leaves, coarsely shredded
1 cup mint leaaves, roughly chopped
1 cup coriander, roughly chopped
I medium cucumber, lightly peeled, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced into half moons
2 cups bean sprouts

Spicy Fish Sauce (recipe below)
2/3 cup coarsely ground dry roasted peanuts.
Chili peppers for garnish, if you like heat

Cook somen noodles in salted boiling waterfor 2-3 minutes. Strain and rinse with cold water. Drain well and put in a platter, ccover with plastic wrap until ready to use.

Combine beef with fish sauce, 2 tsp curry powder and black pepper in a bowl and marinate until ready to use.

In a large salad bowl combine lettuce, mint, coriander, cucumbers and bean sprouts, toss gently. Divide vegetables among 4 to 6 pasta bowls. Top the vegetables with a handful of noodles, set aside until ready to use. Everything up to this point can be made three hours ahead.
When ready to serve, heat oil, over medium heat, in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic, stir fry until fragrant and onion is tender. Add the rest of curry powder and stir fry another minute. Add the beef and stir fry over high heat one to two minutes, to your desired doneness. I like mine a little pink in the middle. Divide beef among the bowls of noodles. Top each with ground peanuts. Pass the fish sauce at the table. Diners should add a generous amount of fish sauce to their bowl and toss everything together, adding sauce and hot pepper to taste.
4 to 6 servings.

Spicy Fish Sauce with Peanuts
½ hot water
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup fish sauce
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
2 TBS dry roasted peanuts , ground
Hot chiles to taste, thinly sliced
Mix all ingredients, except peanuts and chiles, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Garnish with peanuts and chiles before serving. Makes 1 ¼ cup.