Barbecued Pork with Mushrooms and Beans Recipe
(Ocklam)
Laos Recipes

This is the national dish of Laos. Beef or chicken may be substituted for the pork used here. Fresh pork skin is easily obtainable at butchers' shops while dried pork skin can be obtained at Vietnamese grocery stores - it should be soaked in warm water for 30 minutes before use.
 

Ingredients:

225 g/8 oz

250 g/9 oz
2 tbsp
1/2 tsp
1
1 tbsp
100 g/4 oz

8


3
10 cm/4 inch

To garnish:

2.5 cm/1 inch

 

pork, sliced into strips 2.5 cm/1 inch wide and 5 mm/1/4 inch thick

glutinous (sweet) rice
fish sauce
salt
aubergine, weighing about 450 g/1 lb
whole dried red chilies
French beans or Chinese long beans, cut into 2.5 cm/1 inch pieces

large Chinese dried mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
and shredded

bay leaves
square piece of fresh or dried pork skin, shredded into thin strips

few lemon slices
thinly pared strip of chili
piece of spring onion
 

Method:

1. Roast the pork in a preheated moderate oven (180C/350F, gas mark 4) for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, put the glutinous rice in a mortar, add just enough water to cover then crush with a pestle.
    

2. Pour 1.75 liters/3 pints/71/2 cups water into a pan and bring to the boil. Add the fish sauce and salt, then the park, aubergine (eggplant) and chilies. Boil for 10 minutes or until the aubergine (eggplant) is soft, then remove from the pan together with the chilies.
    

3. Pound the aubergine (eggplant) and chilies, using a pestle and mortar, then return to the pan. Add the beans, mushrooms and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, then add the glutinous rice with its soaking liquid and the pork skin. Boil for 20 minutes or until the glutinous rice is cooked.
    

4. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with lemon slices, chili and spring onion (scallion), coiling the chili around the onion (scallion) to resemble a flower head. Serve hot with boiled rice and a Vegetable Platter.

SERVES 4