Luon um la cach is a Mekong dish with a strong aroma, rich coconut milk and the scent of la cach leaves. The hardest part is the cleaning, since any slime left on the eel or any trace of the blood line turns the whole pot fishy. The coconut milk goes in twice.
The 500ml of second pressing braises the eel first, while the 150ml of first pressing goes in at the very end just before the heat goes off. The eel is lightly pounded along the bone and scored down the back without cutting through, so it curls into a neat coil as it cooks.
This batch weighs about 1.9kg, at roughly 92 calories per 100g.
Method
Scrub the eel with vinegar and salt to clear the slime and the fishy smell, then rinse several times with clean water. Remove the innards, especially the blood line along the spine and the navel stub.
Leave half of the la cach leaves whole and chop the other half to cook with the eel.
Pound the eel lightly along the bone with a pestle so the seasoning soaks in faster, then score down the back without cutting all the way through, so it curls neatly during cooking.
Marinate the eel with 1 tablespoon chili sauce, 3 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder, mix well and leave for 10 minutes.
Fry the minced garlic, 1 tablespoon minced lemongrass and 3 bruised lemongrass bases in a pan, just until fragrant rather than deeply golden.
Add the marinated eel to the pan and pour in 500ml second pressing coconut milk, holding back the first pressing to protect its richness. Once it boils, cover and braise over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
After 10 minutes, lift the lid to check, and once the eel is tender, add the chopped la cach leaves and cook 2 more minutes, no longer, as the leaves turn bitter.
Add 150ml first pressing coconut milk, bring it to a boil and turn off the heat immediately, then adjust the seasoning. Scatter over the roasted peanut and serve hot with rice or rice vermicelli.
Tips
The first pressing coconut milk goes in last, as adding it early costs the dish its richness.
A slightly sweet, moderately salty balance suits the pot, since too much salt flattens the richness of the coconut milk.
Chopped la cach leaves need only 2 minutes, as longer cooking turns them bitter.
Lay a few whole lemongrass stalks across the base of the pan as a bed, which keeps the eel from sticking or breaking up.
A thorough scrub with vinegar and salt is the step that decides how the whole pot smells.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.