The tangy soup accompanies the lap, the traditional Lao meat salad. The meat chosen for the preparation of the broth will depend on the meat used for the lap (poultry carcass if lap kai/pet, pork bones if lap mou, fish heads and tails if lap pa).
For 4 people
Ingredients
poultry / pork / fish carcass
1 branch of lemongrass, cut into 5 cm pieces and lightly crushed
5 g galangal
4 coriander roots, lightly crushed (optional)
½ tablespoon of tamarind paste
40 g Vietnamese mint, detailed and minced (if poultry broth)
1 teaspoon of salt
100 g tomatoes, cut into 2cm pieces
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
4 teaspoons chopped green onions
4 teaspoons chopped cilantro
¼ teaspoon MSG (optional)
Method
In a saucepan, bring 700 ml of water to a boil with the carcass, salt, lemongrass, galangal, coriander roots and tamarind paste. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes with the lid closed.
Remove all the pieces from the broth.
Add the tomatoes and the fish sauce, the Vietnamese mint (if you are preparing a poultry broth) then cook for another 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice.
Garnish with green onions and cilantro before serving.
"You can add a few pieces of sliced chicken / pork / fish along with the tomatoes. The tamarind paste can be replaced by one tablespoon of lemon juice."
