Hmong Hot Dish

Yia Vang's recipe

Ingredients

Curry Sauce

• 1/4 cup chopped lemongrass
• 1/4 cup chopped white onion
• 2 Tablespoons roughly chopped galangal
• 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger
• 5 garlic cloves, smashed
• 3 - 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 3 Tablespoons red curry paste
• 1 roasted red pepper, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups canned coconut milk
• Kosher salt

Hot Dish

• 1 pound lean ground pork shoulder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 2 cups chopped root vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, rutabaga, or celery root
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 16-ounce bag frozen tater tots

Directions

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the lemongrass, onion, galangal, ginger, garlic, and lime leaves. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, just until a fond forms on the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes, being careful not to burn the aromatics. When the curry paste is a crimson red, stir in the roasted red peppers and tomatoes. Add the coconut milk, bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is reduced, pale orange and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the lime leaves.

Carefully transfer the sauce to a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and season with salt to taste. (For a thicker sauce, cook a few minutes more to further reduce.)

Heat the oven to 425˚ F.

Toss the onion and root vegetables with the olive oil on a baking sheet, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until just tender but still with a little bite, 12 to 15 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375˚ F.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork, season with salt and pepper and cook, breaking up the meat, until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the roasted vegetables along with 2 cups of the curry sauce. Stir to combine. Transfer to a 3-quart casserole dish, packing the mixture down, then scatter the tater tots evenly on top.

Bake until the tater tots are golden and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Once out of the oven, top the hot dish with cilantro and scallions.