Grilled fish stuffed with herbs from The Child of the Rice Fields, an incredible book on Lao food. My red tilapia is not properly folded because it’s such a challenge to get not gutted fish where we are. Fishmongers cut it open before you even take a breath to ask them not to. And even if you do, they gut it anyway. Understandable, since people prefer fish without head and tail:

— You see… it’s smiling at me.

Can you read my frustration? But I will make it to Paterson where people might not speak proper English but have great listening skills.

For this recipe, fish needs a different fold at it has to fit a huge amount of chopped herb mix: scallions, dill, lemon grass, chilis, shallots, spiked with prickly ash berries, pa daek, fish sauce, and sugar. And that mix is not just a flavoring element, it is eaten wish fish a way you’d use salsa.

Stir fried mushrooms I didn’t plan on — the picture was not too exciting. Monochrome brownish gray mushrooms are hard to photograph. Glad I didn’t let that stop me. It is probably now one of my most favorite side dishes — spicy, garlicky, salty-sweet, and so umami from cooked in pork lard. And that mushroom squeak on a bite.

Grilled sticky rice — who needs bread or crackers — a fantastic vessel for picking up saucy bits. We started cooking them on the sticks as the book suggested. The popsicle-like sticks were really not necessary — the patties held wonderfully on their own and did not stick to the grill grates.

Spicy green mango salad — got lucky that our local H Mart had small green mangoes that day. Dried chilies, garlic, fish sauce, and pa daek in the dressing — perfect.

Over the winter months I was going through the soup section of the book. So tasty, interesting, new, and different for me — I didn’t want cold weather to end. Now, I’m onto the ping, tam, and yam chapters: grilled, pounded, and salads.

#food #cooking #achildofthericefields #laofood #grilledfish #stickyrice #mangosalad #mushrooms #inmykitchen #cookathome