Name: Khao pun nam ya
Yield: Serves four
Cuisine: Laotian
Ingredients: 1 stalk of lemongrass, white part only, finely sliced; 2½ cups coconut milk; 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped; 2 slices galangal, chopped; 6 shallots, peeled and chopped; 500 g (1 lb) boned fish (e.g. tuna, bream, snapper); 2 cups bean sprouts; ½ cup finely shredded Tientsin cabbage; 2 tbsp nam pla ra; 1 cup loosely packed mint leaves; 400 g (14 oz) fresh round rice noodles (khanom jeen), or 300 g (10 oz) rice vermicelli, cooked and drained; ½ carrot, sliced into thin matchsticks; 2 fresh red chillies, finely sliced; 2 tsp sugar; ½ tsp salt; 6 kaffir lime leaves; 1 tbsp fish sauce; 2½ cups water; 4 dried chillies, soaked overnight and drained

Preparation info

Serves
four

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Noodle

By Terry Durack

Published 2002

About

Most Laotian noodle dishes seem to be re-takes on Thai dishes, and while this one often travels under its Thai name of khanom jeen ya, the sauce is typical of Laotian fish cookery. If you want to make the dish more authentically Laotian, double the number of chillies.

Ingredients

4 dried chillies, soaked overnight and drained
1 stalk of lemongrass, white part only, finely sliced
2 slices</

Method

Using a mortar and pestle, pound chillies, lemongrass, galangal, garlic and shallot to a smooth paste. In a saucepan, combine the nam pla ra, fish sauce and water. Gently poach fish until cooked through. Strain stock and set aside.

Flake fish and lightly pound to a coarse, lumpy paste.

In another saucepan, heat 1