simbal

Southeast Asian Kitchen + Bar

Beef tartar, larb seasoning, puffed sesame bread (banh tieu)

Our goal in creating this dish is that the guests have fun, be interactive among themselves and with the food.  

 

Larb is both a popular and a populist dish in Thailand. People love to eat it, and restaurants love to serve it. But what’s unknown is that there are two main regional styles: Northeastern, referred to as Isaan; and Northwestern, known as Chiang Mai.

 

I learned this dish in Bangkok by watching intently the street vendor’s preparations. I was always mesmerized by the precision of their skills, regardless, or maybe because, of how many times the vendor had made the dish. To me, the experience of observing was a masterclass on the simplicity of Thai cuisine; and the result was a harmony of flavors, textures, and seasonings.  

 

After returning to America, I wondered how the seasonings and flavors of larb would work if the meat were raw instead of cooked, like in traditional larb; then I recalled that Chiang Mai style utilized uncooked meat. On the other hand, what makes Isaan larb distinct is the use of roasted rice powder, which fascinated me, because why is it that only the Thais, among the vast Asian landscape, have utilized rice in a powder form in cooking?  As I thought about possible answers, I recalled their indispensable cooking tool: the mortar and pestle. My conjecture is that one day someone over cooked rice, saw the mortar and pestle nearby, then decided to pulverize the rice into a powder in order to not waste it.

 

At Simbal, we combine both regional techniques. We use beef tartar, inspired by the Chiang Mai style. But, we also like the acidity of the Isaan style because it compliments the richness of the beef; so we use palm sugar, garlic, shallots, chilies, fish sauce, lime juice, fresh herbs, and yes, the toasted rice powder. Next, we asked what the beef can be served with? The first thought was bread; but, which bread would work best with the dish while still referencing Southeast Asian flavors? This led us to puffed sesame bread, or banh tieu – the Vietnamese hollowed donut. (Banh is a generic Vietnamese term used for foods made from flour. Tieu refers to the sesame seeds on the bread that the Vietnamese say resemble pepper.) The bread is fried in oil, causing it to puff into a hollow shaped ball. We set the banh tieu on top of the beef tartar, and we recommend guests eat the dish by tearing the bread and using it to scoop the tartar, like one does with pita bread and hummus. The end result should be a hands-on experience that is rooted in both Isaan and Chiang Mai cultures. We hope to have satisfied larb lovers, and stirred interest in those who have never had larb before.

photo courtesy of Salt of the Earth/Bruce Kramer