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Traditional: Using a knife to create vertical incisions and shaving off thin slices before slicing into julienne sticks.
Quick and Easy: Employing a Thai julienne peeler, which produces long, uniform shreds with minimal effort.
Slow and Steady: Hand slicing, which, while more time-consuming, offers complete control.
Adding shredded carrot as a colorful and taste-neutral complement enhances visual appeal, especially popular in modern Thai presentations.
Pounding and Mixing in Lao Tradition
Unlike the Thai som tam, which often relies on shaking or mixing in a bowl, Lao som lam employs a pounding technique using a clay mortar and pestle. The pound and flip method ensures flavors meld deeply into the ingredients: