Ech xao mang la lot gives you firm, sweet frog meat, golden bamboo shoot that has taken on the seasoning, and the warm scent of la lot leaf. It is a high heat stir fry, tossed fast and eaten straight away.
The bamboo shoot is the tricky part, since careless preparation leaves it sour and bitter. Soak and boil the bamboo shoot well, then boil it once more for about 5 minutes in water tinted with turmeric. Sear the frog first, because meat added raw to the wok releases water and goes mushy.
This batch weighs about 729g, at roughly 58 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse 400g frog and its skin, rub with ginger wine or salt to clean it, rinse again and cut into bite sized pieces.
Pound the fresh turmeric and squeeze out the juice. Slice or tear 200g bamboo shoot, soak and boil it well to remove the sourness, then boil it again for about 5 minutes in the turmeric water so it takes on a golden color.
Mince 1 shallot and 4 cloves garlic. Rinse the la lot, sawtooth herb and spring onion and cut them into lengths. Slice the red horn chili.
Sear the frog in a pan or deep fry it briefly until the meat firms up.
Set a wok over high heat, fry half the shallot and garlic until fragrant, toss in the frog, season with 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce and 1/2 teaspoon seasoning powder, then tip it out.
In the same wok, fry the rest of the shallot and garlic, add the bamboo shoot and season with 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce and 1/2 teaspoon seasoning powder.
Once the bamboo shoot is firm, return the frog, add 1/4 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and stir fry for 3 to 5 minutes until the meat is cooked through.
Add the spring onion, sawtooth herb, 10 la lot leaves and the chili, toss once and turn off the heat. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and serve hot.
Tips
A second boil in turmeric water gives the bamboo shoot a golden color and takes the sharp edge off its smell.
High heat and fast tossing keep the frog meat sweet and springy instead of watery.
The la lot goes in last and the heat goes off immediately, because overcooked leaves darken and lose their scent.
Evenly sized pieces of frog cook at the same rate, while mixed sizes leave some raw and some dry.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so add it while there is still steam in the wok and toss for another half minute.
Bamboo shoot squeezed thoroughly dry keeps the wok hot, since wet shoots drop the heat and soften the dish.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.