How to make jeow artichoke - Lao spicy artichoke relish recipe
 
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A delicious relish that accompanies Lao meals and pairs perfectly with steaming hot sticky rice!
Author:
Recipe type: Relish
Cuisine: Lao
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 artichokes
  • 3 spring onions
  • 2 Asian/French shallots
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 6 red hot chilies (bird's eye or bullet chilies work well, use as many as you like)
  • 2 coriander
  • 2 lemons
  • 1 TBSP of fish sauce
  • 2 tsp of padaek/fermented fish sauce
  • ½ tsp of raw sugar
  • ½ tsp of sea salt
  • 1 TBSP of lemon juice
Instructions
  1. First, prepare the artichokes. Cut the stem off the artichoke head so that you are left with about 5-10 cm of the stem still attached to the head. Rub the base of the stem with a lemon half to prevent it from turning brown. Pull/peel off the leaves from the stem and the dark green outer bracts from the head until you reach the light green/light yellow bracts which are also more tender. With a sharp knife, carefully cut off about ⅓ of the tip of the artichoke head. Be careful because the outer leaves can be tough and slippery! Rub the top of the cut head with the lemon half to prevent browning. Carefully cut the artichoke in half vertically. Again, rub the cut/exposed part with the lemon half to prevent browning. With a spoon, carefully scoop out the fuzzy/hairy choke from the center of the artichoke. Peel the outer skin off the stem and base of the artichoke head. Place the prepared artichoke halves in a bowl of cold water with juice from half a lemon while you prepare the remaining artichokes.
  2. Grill the spring onions (cut off roots and then cut into thirds), Asian/French shallots (halved), garlic cloves, chilies, coriander roots (reserve the leaves) and artichoke halves until they're soft and slightly charred. Thinly slice them. Discard the tough outer bracts of the artichokes. Roughly chop the coriander leaves.
  3. In a large/Lao mortar, add the thinly sliced spring onions, Asian/French shallots, garlic cloves, chilies and coriander root. Pound well together to a semi-fine consistency.
  4. Add the sugar and salt and continue to pound/mix together.
  5. Add the sliced artichoke hearts/stems and continue to gently pound/mix together, using a spoon to help turn/mix the ingredients.
  6. Add the fish sauce, padaek/fermented fish sauce and lemon juice (1 TBSP), and continue to gently pound/mix together with the pestle and spoon. Taste and adjust to suit your palate. What you're aiming for is a delicious/moreish blend/balance of salty, savoury, spicy and sour, with a hint of sweet.
  7. Add the chopped coriander leaves and gently mix/stir in with a spoon. Voila!! Your jeow artichoke is now ready to be served and eaten. Transfer it to a serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with sticky rice and enjoy the jeow with grilled/cooked meat, beef jerky, steamed veg, etc. :D Sern saab!!
Recipe by Padaek at http://padaek.com/make-jeow-artichoke-lao-spicy-artichoke-relish-recipe/