Laab Gai – Thai chicken salad

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 300 g chicken breast
• 1 lime(s), possibly 2, juice
• 2 sprigs lemongrass
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp chili flakes
• 1 piece(s) of galangal or ginger, approx. 3 cm
• 3 shallots (Thai shallots, alternatively 1 small onion)
• 3 stalks of celery (Thai celery, alternatively 1 – 2 stalks of local celery)
• 4 spring onions (Thai spring onions, alternatively 2 – 3 local spring onions)
• ½ bunch coriander leaves
• 1 sprig of mint, more to taste
• 2 red chili peppers, more to taste
• 1 cucumber(s)
• some lettuce

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

Finely dice the chicken breast with a knife or chop it into small pieces with a cleaver, similar to coarse minced meat. Mix the meat with lime juice and marinate for about 10-15 minutes. Sear it in a pan without adding any fat until cooked through. The liquid in the pan should have evaporated. In the meantime, very finely chop the soft part of the lemongrass and finely dice the galangal. Finely chop the shallots, celery, spring onions, coriander, mint, and chili peppers and set everything aside. Season the chicken with fish sauce, sugar, and chili flakes. Add lime juice if desired and let cool to lukewarm. Mix the meat with the shallots, herbs, etc. and arrange on lettuce leaves. Slice or cut the cucumber into strips lengthwise and serve with the laab and jasmine rice. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of rice semolina over the finished laab, if desired. Rice semolina is easy to make at home by gently roasting raw rice grains in a pan without fat until golden yellow. Stir constantly, then let cool and crush in a mortar (grains the size of coarse semolina). The rice semolina will keep for several months in a sealed jar. Laab tastes best when the meat is generously mixed with the herbs mentioned and served lukewarm. The amounts of fish sauce, chili flakes, and chilies are only guidelines; the same applies to the quantities: if only laab is served, this amount is enough for about 2 people. If additional dishes such as soups and curries are served, this amount is enough for 4-6 people.