Mok Kai

Mok Kai-(chicken steamed in banana leaf) 9/5/10

This is a Laotian dish that you will not find in any Thai restaurant. I usually include this dish in my menu when I make Thai food for my guests. Mok Kai main ingredients are chopped chicken, lemon grass, lemon leaves, black fungus, Bamboo shoot in chili oil, wrapped in banana leaves and then steamed. This is a spicy dish that that has a lot of flavor. Banana leaves are acting as a double agent in this dish: first the leaves add a nice flavor to the Mok Kai and secondly, they keep the meat moist. People did not have aluminum foil back in the days so Banana leaves is a great for this purpose. Traditionally the Laotian people eat this dish with sticky rice but steamed rice goes really well too.

Close look at the Mok Kai

Preparation work..

Yield about 20 packages.

6 chicken quarter

1/3 cup of coconut cream

1 tablespoon Fried garlic

10 to 15 lemon leaves-cut into thin strip

1/3 cup lemon grass

1 tablespoon red chili pepper flake

6 black fungus

1 jar bamboo shoot in oil

2 eggs

Fish sauce, sugar

Banana leaves

Cut the chicken thighs into cube

You can chopped the chicken by hand or use a food processor but make sure it is coarsely chopped so you can still see small chuck of chicken.

Soak the black fungus into water for about 20 minutes. Drain the black fungus and cut it into thin strip.

In a large bowl, add the chicken, bamboo shoot, black fungus, red chili, coconut milk, and fried garlic (store bought)...

Add two eggs and mix it well together. Set aside..

Julienne the lemon leaves.

Add the lemon leaves and lemon grass into the mixture.

Mix it well together. Add sugar, and fish sauce.

Since you can not taste raw chicken, put a small spoon on this mixture in the microwave for 40 seconds and then taste it and adjust seasoning accordingly