Jeow bong - Lao spicy chili relish with shredded pork skin
 
Prep time
Cook time
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A delicious and traditional sweet and spicy chili relish with shredded pork skin from Luang Prabang. Best enjoyed with steaming hot sticky rice, cooked meats and steamed vegetables. Sern saab!
Author:
Recipe type: Relish
Cuisine: Lao
Serves: A lot
Ingredients
  • 30 dried red chilies
  • 30 fresh red bullet chilies
  • 20 green (or red) long chili peppers
  • 5 garlic heads
  • 10 French shallots
  • 15 cm piece of galangal
  • 20 kaffir lime leaves
  • 2 cups of dried shrimp
  • 250 grams of shredded pork skin
  • 3 TBSP of fish sauce
  • 2 TBSP of fermented fish sauce
  • 3 TBSP of raw sugar
  • 2 tsp of sea salt
  • 3 TBSP of shrimp stock (from the dried shrimp)
  • 2 TBSP of infused oil (from frying)
  • 750 ml of vegetable oil (for frying)
  • 1 coriander (to garnish)
Instructions
  1. Place the dried shrimp in a bowl and add 1 litre of boiled water. Cover and let the shrimps soften/rehydrate for 1 hour. When the shrimps have rehydrated, strain and reserve the shrimp liquid/stock in a bowl. Let the shrimps drain and dry in a separate bowl with paper towels. Cover and put aside.
  2. Peel the garlic cloves, cut off the roots if necessary, and then thinly slice.
  3. Wash the galangal, carefully cut into small segments, and then thinly slice.
  4. Peel the French shallots, cut off the roots, and then thinly slice.
  5. Wash and thinly slice the kaffir lime leaves. Put aside.
  6. In a frying pan, add the vegetable oil and bring to medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and gently fry until they turn light golden brown and crisp up. When they're ready, strain and transfer to a bowl with paper towels to drain and dry.
  7. In the same oil, add the sliced galangal and gently fry until they turn light brown and crisp up. When they're ready, strain and transfer to a bowl with paper towels to drain and dry.
  8. In the same oil, add the sliced French shallots and gently fry until they turn light brown and crisp up. When they're ready, strain and transfer to a bowl with paper towels to drain and dry.
  9. In the same oil, add the dried red chilies and gently fry until they soften. Keep an eye on them because this will not take long. Don't let them burn or turn black! When they're ready, strain and transfer to a bowl with paper towels to drain and dry.
  10. Cut a slit in the red bullet chilies and then gently fry until they turn light brown and crisp up. When they're ready, strain and transfer to a bowl with paper towels to drain and dry.
  11. Cut a slit in the green long chili peppers and then gently fry until they turn light brown and crisp up. When they're ready, strain and transfer to a bowl with paper towels to drain and dry.
  12. In the same oil, add the kaffir lime leaves and and gently fry until they crisp up. When they're ready, strain and transfer to a bowl with paper towels to drain and dry.
  13. Let the infused oil cool down completely and then pour it into a bowl or resealable glass jar. Reserve for later use!
  14. In a large Lao mortar, add the fried chilies and pound to a fine consistency. Add the fried kaffir lime leaves and continue to pound to a fine consistency. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and cover.
  15. In the same mortar, add the fried garlic and pound to a fine consistency. Add the fried galangal and continue to pound to a fine consistency. Add the fried French shallots and continue to pound to a fine consistency. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and cover.
  16. In the same mortar, add the rehydrated shrimp and pound to a fine consistency.
  17. Add the fried chilies and kaffir lime leaves mixture, and the fried garlic, fried galangal and fried French shallots mixture and continue to pound and mix all of the ingredients well together.
  18. Add the raw sugar and sea salt and continue to pound and mix well together.
  19. Add the fish sauce, fermented fish sauce, shrimp stock, infused oil and continue to pound and mix well together. Taste and adjust the flavour to suit. What you're aiming for is a delicious combination of sweet, spicy, salty, savoury and herbal. Jeow bong has got a distinctive sweet and spicy flavour to it!
  20. Add the shredded pork skin and continue to pound and mix well together.
  21. When done, transfer the required amount of jeow bong into a bowl and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with steaming hot sticky rice, your favourite cooked meats and steamed vegetables. Sern saab! :D Transfer the rest of the jeow bong into a resealable glass jar and store in the fridge. Will last for a million years. Not quite, but it should last for a long time, perhaps about a month or so. Besides, it's so delicious, you'll definitely finish it before then. You can also enjoy it as a relish with steamed rice or as a condiment with your favourite dish!
Recipe by Padaek at http://padaek.com/jeow-bong-lao-spicy-chili-relish-shredded-pork-skin/