Lao Tomato Dip

Name: Lao Tomato Dip
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: ¾ lb. cherry tomatoes; 8 cloves garlic, halved; 6 Thai chiles, stemmed; 2 shallots, halved; ½ red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded; ¼ cups chopped cilantro; 2 tbsp. fish sauce; ¼ tsp. kosher salt; Steamed long beans, cut in segments; Steamed cabbage, cut in wedges; Raw Thai eggplants, quartered

Serves
serves 4

FARIDEH SADEGHIN

Penn Hongthong, the author of Simple Laotian Cooking (Hippocrene, 2003), taught us that charring the vegetables for this dip is the secret to its smoky flavor.

Ingredients

¾ lb. cherry tomatoes
8 cloves garlic, halved
6 Thai chiles, stemmed
2 shallots, halved
½ red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded
¼ cups chopped cilantro
2 tbsp. fish sauce
¼ tsp. kosher salt
Steamed long beans, cut in segments
Steamed cabbage, cut in wedges
Raw Thai eggplants, quartered

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Instructions

Step 1

Heat broiler; place a rack 4" from heat source. (Alternately, prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire; place a vegetable grate over the grill top.) Put tomatoes, garlic, chiles, shallots, and bell pepper on a foil-lined baking sheet (or on grill top if grilling). Broil or grill vegetables, turning once, until charred, about 8 minutes. Let cool.

Step 2

Transfer garlic, chiles, shallots, and bell pepper to a food processor; pulse until chopped. Add tomatoes; pulse until just chunky. Transfer dip to a bowl; stir in cilantro, fish sauce, and salt.