‘Wrapped’ Deer Meat

Name: ‘Wrapped’ Deer Meat (Phan Sin Fahn)
Cuisine: Luang prabang
Ingredients: 1 na (½ kilo) of rice vermicelli, cut intp suitable pieces (it is usual to divide each bundle into four); salt, fish sauce and ground black pepper; 7 straight-bulbed spring onions—cut each bulb into four lengthways and put these to soak in water, then cut the leaves into long pieces (about 5 cm in length); 5 heads of pickled garlic—separate them into their cloves; 2 tomatoes, sliced vertically and seeded; 1 cucumber, peeled, cut into sections 3 cm long, and each section sliced thinly lengthways; 1 handful of roasted peanuts, rubbed together to rid them of their skins; 1 onion, sliced and finely chopped, for the sauce; 3 (small) heads of garlic, peel the shallots and the garlic cloves and pound them together finely; 7 (small) shallots, peel the shallots and the garlic cloves and pound them together finely; 5 pieces of deer meat, taken either from the leg or the sirloin—slice them across into slices of about 2 by 8 cm and beat the pieces gently with a pestle in order to soften them, after which rub into them 5 crushed cloves of garlic, salt and ground black pepper; 20 sprigs of watercress—pick off the tender shoots only, wash all these vegetables and reserve them apart to go on the first platter; 1 large bunch of kan kam (a variety of mint with darkish leaves—)—pick off only the tender young shoots and leaves, wash all these vegetables and reserve them apart to go on the first platter; 5 lettuces—separate the leaves, wash all these vegetables and reserve them apart to go on the first platter; 2 sprigs of coriander, chopped roughly (to serve as garnish); 10 sprigs of coriander—pick off only the young tender shoots and leaves, wash all these vegetables and reserve them apart to go on the first platter; 1 spoonful of ground sesame seeds; 1 spoonful of ground roasted peanuts; 3 dried shrimps, pounded; 1 sprig of coriander, chopped finely (for the ‘dip’); sugar; butter; (meat broth); 1 can tomato paste, for the sauce; 1 unripe banana, peeled, cut into half crossways, and each half sliced thinly lengthways; 15 small red chilli peppers (pounded, for use in the ‘dip’)

Phan Sin Fahn

Preparation info

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Traditional Recipes of Laos

By Phia Sing

Published 1981

About

Ingredients

5 pieces of deer meat, taken either from the leg or the sirloin—slice them across into slices of about 2 by 8 cm and beat the pieces gently with

Asia
Laos
Side dish
Main course
Gluten-free
Spicy
Southeast Asia

Method

When the above ingredients have been prepared, arrange the lettuce leaves, and the other three vegetables (reserved with them) on a platter. Arrange the rice vermicelli in the middle of another platter, and place around them the various peeled and chopped vegetables, (i.e. the seven ingredients from the straight-bulbed spring onions to the unripe banana). Arrange these so that