Laotian beef lap

Yield: 6 Servings

1 tb Heaping raw rice      3 sm Dried red chilies
2 1/2 c Water      1 lb Ground round or ground -sirloin
1 ts Dried lemon grass or:      1 ts Grated lemon rind
1 lg Yellow onion chopped very -fine      3 Fresh green chilies chopped -fine
1 lg Green pepper seeded and -chopped      1/4 c Mint leaves (about 30)
3 tb Lemon juice

Nam pla or salt to taste Roast the rice in a dry frying pan over a medium flame until it is a pale gold color. Transfer it to a mortar and pound it to the consistency of corn meal. Roast the dry chilies in the same way and pound them in the mortar. Bring the water to a boil and add the lemon grass and the beef stirring until the meat changes color. Drain the meat and place in a serving dish with the rice dried chilies onions fresh chilies green pepper and the mint leaves (reserving some of the mint for garnish). Sprinkle lemon juice all over and mix to blend well. Finally add salt or nam pla to taste and garnish with the remaining mint leaves. Serve with plain boiled rice. From: PEARL S. BUCK'S ORIENTAL COOKBOOK SBN671-21366-0 Simon and Schuster New York. 1972 Posted by: Karin Brewer Cooking Echo 7/92