I was recently in Las Vegas dining at the Mandarin Oriental. A new dish to me was this chicken dish Laab Gai which is the national dish of Laos. It’s a great dish as it can be used for so many occasions: as a starter, canapé or (as I like to eat it) as a quick and easy snack. All you need to do is have the mix made up in the fridge, spoon into a lettuce leaf and your good to go.

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken Breasts
• 2 finely chopped shallots
• Lime Juice to taste ( i normally use the juice of 1.5 limes)
• Fish Sauce to taste
• 1 dried chilli
• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander
• 4 tablespoons chopped Mint

Most recipes call to use ground chicken but I don’t like the texture it leaves in the mouth. Its almost grainy and overcooked so I prefer to cook the chicken breasts in the oven and then chop them. First clean any excess fat from the chicken. Coat with olive oil and bake in the oven until chicken breasts are cooked through. While the chicken is cooling add all the other ingredients together. Once the chicken it completely cooled then finely chop as small as possible. To do so, first slice the chicken breast lengthways. Second, place the strip of chicken flat and cut lengthways. Then run the knife through to make the small cubes.

Combine everything together and check the seasoning. If the lime is too sharp then add a little sugar. Once you are happy with the dish, pile it into a salad leaf of choice and chow down.