Laotian bean-and-tomato salad

Indulge in the fusion of flavors with this zesty Laotian bean-and-tomato salad. Savor the fresh ingredients and aromatic spices in every bite.

Ingredients:

• 2 large (170g total) shallots, quartered, peelings and trimmings reserved
• 18 clove garlic cloves (from 2 [2-ounce] heads), peelings and trimmings reserved 
• 40g daikon radish, peeled and cut into large pieces (about 1/2 cup), peelings and trimmings reserved
• 1 (1/2-ounce) lemongrass stalk, cut into small pieces (about 1/4 cup), tough outer leaves and trimmings reserved
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 small (110g) white onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup), peelings and trimmings reserved
• 450g cherry tomatoes, halved (about 3 cups)
• 450g ground pork
• 12 cups, plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
• 1/2 cup soybean paste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red pepper powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce, divided
• 1/2 cup galangal,  peeled and grated with microplane grater (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 (32-ounce) pkg. fresh rice noodles or 1 lb. dried rice noodles
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Instructions:

1. Finely chop shallots in a food processor by pulsing around 10 times. Put the shallots in a bowl and set them aside. Next, pulse garlic in the food processor until finely chopped with around 6 pulses. Transfer it to a separate bowl and keep it aside. Following that, pulse radish and lemongrass in the food processor until finely chopped, pulsing about 10 times. Move this mixture to another bowl and set it aside.
2. In a medium Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and the previously set aside shallots; sauté and stir continuously until they release fragrance for about 30 seconds. Add the reserved garlic, cook and stir often until the onion and shallots turn translucent, this should take around 3 minutes. Include tomatoes and the radish-lemongrass mixture that was set aside earlier; cook and stir until the tomatoes start to soften and the fragrance develops, usually takes about 2 minutes. Add ground pork, keep stirring until it breaks into small pieces, this should take around a minute. Pour in 2 tablespoons of water. Reduce the heat to low, keep stirring until the pork is no longer pink, approximately 15 minutes. Add soybean paste, red pepper powder, paprika, palm sugar, granulated sugar, black pepper, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of fish sauce, stir well until everything is combined. Increase the heat to medium, cook while stirring until it thickens slightly, this is usually around 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low again, stir occasionally until it thickens, which takes about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and mix in grated galangal. Cover the pork sauce and keep it warm using the residual heat from the burner.
3. When there are 10 minutes left for the pork sauce to cook, bring 12 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the rice noodles, stir once and cook until softened, it usually takes 30 to 40 seconds for fresh noodles and 2 to 3 minutes for dried noodles. (If you're using dried noodles, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes before boiling.) Use a slotted spoon to transfer the noodles to a colander, let them drain well and keep the cooking water in the saucepan. Place the noodles in a large bowl, cover them with cold water, and set them aside. Add the reserved shallot, garlic, radish, lemongrass, and onion peelings and trimmings to the cooking water in the saucepan; add salt and the remaining 3 tablespoons of fish sauce. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat, simmer while stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, discarding the solids.
4. Drain the reserved noodles. Divide the noodles equally among 6 bowls, approximately 1 1/3 cups each. Top them evenly with the pork sauce, around 3/4 cup each, and add approximately 1 2/3 cups of broth to each bowl. Garnish with mint, cilantro, green onion, and mushrooms.

Summary:

• Calories: 796 kcal
• Fat: 32 g
• Protein: 31 g
• Carbs: 120 g
• Potassium: 3826 mg
• Magnesium: 413 mg