KANAB KUNG YAI (LAOTIAN SHRIMP IN BANANA LEAF PACKETS)

SOURCE: PHIA SING. TRADITIONAL RECIPES OF LAOS.

Giant shrimps used to be a prized commodity in Laos only afforded by the erstwhile monarchy seated in Luang Prabang. After all, the landlocked nation had no access to the coastal waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and both Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers running within the city can only provide smaller freshwater species. Hence, any curious eater can easily expect the dearth of shrimp dishes in Lao cuisine compared to the endless possibilities presented by its Indochinese neighbors. In fact, the late British food writer and diplomat Alan Davidson just found one shrimp entry among the 114 posthumous haute cuisine notes left by Phia Sing, Laos’ own pastiche of Leonardo da Vinci and Auguste Escoffier. This recipe called for wrapping the aromatic crustacean and ground pork filling inside banana leaves and grilling the tightly sealed packets over a low charcoal fire, a traditional dish and cookery locally known in Luang Prabang and Vientiane as kanab. Baking also makes a feasible and modern alternative in the home cooking of kanab to produce a light broth that is flavorfully tantalizing brought by the citrus notes of lemongrass.

Ingredients

10 unpeeled jumbo shrimps, heads included

1/2 cup/120 grams ground pork

1 tablespoon/4 grams finely chopped lemongrass, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results

2/3 cup/70 grams finely chopped shallots

1 1/2 teaspoons/3 grams finely chopped red chili peppers, preferably bird’s eye chili

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon/15 mL fish sauce

Finely chopped scallions or chives

OPTIONAL: 1 tablespoon/3 grams pak waan leaf OR holy basil leaves, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results

12 sheets of banana leaves, cut to about 6 inches/15 cm × 6 inches/15 cm squares, fresh or frozen

Specific Equipment

Knife

Chopstick

Mortar and pestle

Toothpicks

Kitchen shears

Roasting pan lined with parchment paper

Serves 6

Instructions

1. Peel and devein the shrimps. Cut off the head from each shrimp with a knife and use a chopstick to scrape out the shrimp fat from the heads into the ground pork. Chop 4 shrimps finely and add them into the ground pork. Set aside.

2. Slice the rest of the shrimps in half lengthwise and set aside.

3. Grind the lemongrass, shallots, and chile peppers into a fine and well-blended paste with a mortar and pestle.

4. Stir the paste and the shrimp halves into the ground pork until well-blended. Season lightly with salt and fish sauce and sprinkle with chopped scallions or chives. Add the pak waan leaf or holy basil, if desired. Continue stirring the mixture until well-blended and set aside.

5. Preheat oven to 400°C/200°C.

6. Heat banana leaves with its flat side down briefly over a stove burner until dry and shiny. Wash and dry thoroughly.

7. Overlap two banana leaves to form an X. Spoon the mixture, which must include two shrimp halves, into the middle of the X. With one hand, raise the top ends of the X up off the work surface, so they are just behind the filling. Use the other hand to raise the bottom ends of the X so all four ends should meet above the filling.

8. Hold the ends together with the left hand and push the right side inward with the right hand, easing the middle portion toward the filling. The middle of the side will now be up against the filling.

9. Bring the closer right-hand wing around to the front of the pouch while the left hand is still holding the center. Repeat with the rear right-hand wing, wrapping it backward to the center of the pouch.

10. Bring the closer left-hand wing around to the front of the pouch while the right hand is still holding the center. Repeat with the rear left-hand wing, wrapping it backward to the center of the pouch.

11. Secure the top ends with bamboo toothpicks, and trim the top part above the toothpicks with kitchen shears.

12. Repeat Steps 7 to 11 to wrap the rest of the filling by batches. Transfer all banana leaf packets to a roasting pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes or until the shrimp is all set.

13. Remove the banana leaf packets from the oven and transfer to a serving platter.