LAAP NACHOS

FL040: OPTIONS
February 8, 2021

The Three Nacho Commandments:

1. No weak chips
In this recipe, we summon the strength of Todo de Mayo and prepare sturdy flour tortilla chips in the fashion of the Black Pepper Tostadas we made back in FL008: Clam Likely.

2. Stack with care
Stacking nachos is a dangerous game, and we avoid it entirely by baking these in a single layer. Orphaned chips are nacho crime. Stack in stages if necessary.

3. The spice must flow
Our salsa strategy is a thin and pourable nam prik noom, less potent than the traditional Thai dipping sauce whose name it bears but capable of much wider coverage. Deep nacho research has yielded a conviction: if you can’t put the salsa in a squeeze bottle, it has no place on the golden triangles.

Goal: party food
Yield: flexible, depending on how many tortillas you use. The topping is enough to cover a sheet tray of chips made from six small flour tortillas (serves 4-6)
Leftover strategy: sloppy migas

FOR THE CHIPS

  • 6 soft flour tortillas, or 1-2 per person if making a smaller batch

  • leftover F-Town Garlic Butter from FL032: The Jakarta Method, or vegetable oil with a little fresh garlic microplaned into it

  • salt and pepper to taste (Limo 3P would be an excellent, if bonkers, option here)

FOR THE LAAP

  • 1/4 cup chicken stock

  • 1 teaspoon peanut or vegetable oil

  • 1 teaspoon palm sugar, plus extra as desired

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 12 ounces ground chicken, turkey, or duck

  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced

  • juice + zest of 2 limes

  • 2-3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

  • 1/2 teaspoon Lani’s KRP or ground puya chili

  • 3 small or 1 large shallot, peeled and sliced into very thin rings

  • 2/3 cup (8 grams) mint leaves, finely chopped

  • 2/3 cup (8 grams) cilantro leaves, finely chopped

  • 1 tablespoon toasted glutinous rice powder

FOR THE CHEESE SAUCE

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup milk

  • 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated

  • 1 tablespoon sriracha

  • salt to taste

TO FINISH

 

MAKE THE CHIPS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the tortillas into 6 wedges each, then brush with a thin coat of melted garlic butter or oil. (Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper if not already seasoned.) Spread in a single layer on a sheet tray and bake for 8 minutes. Flip the chips, brush with a little more butter or oil and bake 5 minutes more, or until golden and crunchy. Let the chips cool in the pan (you’ll use it as is to bake the nachos), and increase the oven temperature to 400.


MAKE THE LAAP

In a large skillet or wok, heat the chicken stock, oil, sugar, and salt to dissolve. Add the ground meat and the garlic, and cook until the meat is just cooked through. Stir in the lime juice, fish sauce, chile powder, shallots, mint, cilantro, and ground toasted rice. Taste and adjust the seasoning so the flavor is balanced between hot, sour, salty and just sweet enough to round it out. Set aside while preparing the cheese sauce.


MAKE THE CHEESE SAUCE

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the top and whisk constantly until it’s thick and smells toasty, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk in a thin stream, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the grated cheese, whisking constantly until it is melted. Add the sriracha, then taste and adjust the salt to your liking. (For a sharper flavor, add a tiny amount of white vinegar or pickle brine.)


TO ASSEMBLE THE NACHOS

Drizzle the chips with a layer of cheese sauce. Spoon the laap topping evenly over them, then drizzle with a second layer of cheese sauce. If it’s necessary to layer the nachos for space constraints, focus on build quality: no chip untopped. Bake at 400 degrees until the cheese is bubbling and browned in spots. Serve directly from the tray drizzled with nam prik noom and topped with sliced scallions, a chiffonade of lime leaves, and torn Thai basil.