Lao fish larb croquettes – khao nom larb pa croquette
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Modern Lao-Australian fusion fish larb croquettes.
Author:
Recipe type: Appetiser
Cuisine: Modern Lao-Australian
Serves: 5
Ingredients
  • Croquettes:
  • 1.5 kg of potatoes
  • 1 cup of plain flour
  • 4 eggs
  • pinch of salt
  • ground black pepper
  • 2 cups of breadcrumbs
  • Extra flour for dusting
  • Larb:
  • 500 grams of fish flesh
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 Asian shallots
  • 1 spring onions
  • 1 small knob of galangal
  • 2 bird's eye chilies
  • 1 handful of mint leaves (roughly chopped)
  • 1 handful of coriander leaves (roughly chopped)
  • 1 handful of Asian basil (roughly chopped)
  • 1 lemon/lime
  • 1 Tablespoon of oil
  • 1 Tablespoon of fish sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon of padaek
  • 2 Tablespoon of khao khua (ground toasted glutinous rice powder)
  • Mayonnaise/aioli:
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon of Dijon mustard
  • pinch of salt
  • ground black pepper
  • 1 cup of oil
  • 1 lemon/lime
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Cooking oil for shallow frying the croquettes
Instructions
  1. Prepare the potatoes: Wash and peel the potatoes and cut into quarters. Place the potatoes in a large pot/saucepan, and fill with cold water to fully cover them. Bring to the boil over medium heat and cook for about 30 minutes. When they are done, drain and let them cool down. Transfer to a large bowl and mash with a potato masher. Add 1 cup of plain flour and 2 eggs, and continue to mix/mash together to combine the ingredients. Add a pinch of salt and ground black pepper, and combine into the mixture. Cover and let cool down.
  2. Make the mayonnaise/aioli: In a large mixing bowl, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites (reserve the egg whites for another recipe/dish). Add the Dijon mustard, salt and ground black pepper, and whisk well together. Gradually add a small amount of the cooking oil each time, and continue to whisk fast until the ingredients are well combined together and start to fluff up. Peel the garlic clove, crush and finely mince, and then add to the mixture. Add the remaining oil and continue to whisk until everything is well combined. Wash and cut the lemon/lime into wedges, remove seeds and squeeze the juice into the mixture. Continue to whisk until the mayo/aioli is well combined and fluffy. Adjust the flavour to suit your palate. What your’re aiming for is a delicious smooth/creamy blend. Don’t over-salt.
  3. Make the larb: Wash the fish fillets, remove all bones and skin (optional). Cut the fish fillets into long strips about 2 cm wide, and then thinly slice the fish strips into fine pieces. Peel and thinly slice the garlic cloves into slivers. Wash, cut off roots and thinly slice the Asian shallots and spring onions. Cut the skin off the galangal, and then julienne and chop the galangal into tiny cubes. Wash and thinly slice the fresh chilies. Wash and remove the mint leaves from their stems and roughly chop. Wash and cut the root and stem off the coriander and roughly chop the leaves. Wash and slice the lemon/lime into wedges (and remove seeds). Put these prepared ingredients aside. In a fry pan, add 1 Tablespoon of oil and bring to low-medium heat. Add the sliced garlic cloves and fry until light brown. Then, add the sliced fish and gently cook/stir through until just done. Turn off the heat and then transfer the cooked fish (liquid and all) to a large mixing bowl. Add the fish sauce, padaek sauce, khao khua and sliced fresh chilies and combine together. Squeeze in the lemon/lime juice. Add the sliced Asian shallots, spring onions, galangal, chopped mint and coriander leaves and gently combine all of the ingredients together. Adjust the taste to suit your palate. What you’re aiming for is a delicious blend of savoury and herbal with a hint of sour and spicy. Don’t over-season.
  4. Prepare the croquettes (Part 1): You will be using your hands to create the croquettes, so make sure they’re washed/clean and dry. First, add some flour to your hands and rub together. Place about 2 Tablespoon of the potato mixture in the palm of your hands and roll into a ball. Place the ball on a flour-dusted plate or board and flatten the ball to form a round/circular disc. Place about 1 Tablespoon of the fish larb mixture in the center of the flattened potato disc. Gently and carefully bring the opposite edges of the potato disc to meet in the center. Bring the other opposite edges of the potato disc to the center so that the potato mixture envelops/encloses the fish larb mixture. Then, gently pick up the potato/larb parcel and gently roll between your hands to form a neat ball or egg or log (or whatever shape you like). When you're happy with the shape, place it on a flour-dusted plate/tray and repeat the process with remaining potato and fish larb mixtures to create as many croquettes as you can/like.
  5. Prepare the croquettes (Part 2): In a shallow dish or plate, add the breadcrumbs and spread out evenly. In a mixing bowl, whisk 2 eggs. Pick up one croquette at a time and dip it in the egg mixture first to cover the surface. Then, roll the wet croquette in the breadcrumbs, ensuring that it is evenly coated. Place the finished/crumbed croquette on a large plate/tray, ready for frying. Repeat the process for the remaining croquettes.
  6. Cook the croquettes: In a fry pan, add enough cooking oil for shallow frying and bring to medium heat. Carefully add the croquettes and cook them until they're delicious golden brown. Ensure the croquettes are evenly cooked by turning them over with metal tongs. When they're done, remove them from the oil and place them to a plate/tray with paper towel and let them drain. Serve the delicious croquettes piping hot with the mayonnaise/aioli and a wedge of lemon. Garnish with herbs and/or vegetables. Sern saab/bon appetit! :)
Recipe by Padaek at http://padaek.com/lao-fish-larb-croquettes-khao-nom-larb-pa-croquette/