Archive for February, 2012
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Goi Pa. A Laotian ceviche of some sort? Or is ceviche a South American version of Goi Pa?
Who cares? Its yummy 
and easy to make!
Like many Laotian salads or “Larbs”, Goi Pa is raw, or almost raw, cured and briefly marinated, it must be served as soon as its made.
You need fresh fish, I find white fish is the best for this dish, but you could use salmon or tuna, it really doesn’t matter, as long as the fish is fresh.
There are different ways to prepare this dish, this is my way. The fish is ever so briefly heated, glazed in its own juices actually, this gives it a wonderful texture, semi raw if you like. You have to try it to appreciate it.
This is a long post, with many photos (25 more to go!), but trust me, its easy to prepare.
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Two medium sized fish will serve 4 to 6 persons. Here I use Dorada (Gilt Head Bream). I would have preferred to use Sea Bass, but we ate those the previous day! 
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The other ingredients include a knob of galangal, the juice of 4 limes, 2 spring onions, lemongrass, a few chilies, a handful of both mint and coriander.
Apart from the fresh chilies, you will also need some dried chilies.
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Deep fry the dried chilies in hot oil until they turn a dark red, not burnt!
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Pound the deep fried chilies with a pestle and mortar.
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Freshly made powdered chilies have a roasted aroma. You can make them in advance and store them in an airtight container, but the roasted aroma dissipates over time. That´s why I like to make mine when it´s needed.
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You will also need some fish sauce, I use 55 grams, you can use a little less, then taste the finished dish and add some more if you want.