1 dried quail, matured until almost mouldy, divided into separate breast and leg parts, washed and put on a plate

7 round eggplants

5 large fresh green chilli peppers

1 stalk lemon grass

3 straight-bulbed spring onions

sa-kahn (an aromatic plant), cut into pieces about 5 cm long and 1 cm thick-about 10 pieces - washed

3 young shoots rattan, cooked by being placed directly on a charcoal fire and peeled so as to leave only the soft part, which is to be cut into pieces 2 cm long and washed

1 bunch phak tam nin (all edible leaf), picked over, keeping only the leaves and tops, which are to be washed

dill, washed and cut into pieces about 2 cm long

spring onion, the green parts, cut into pieces about 2 cm long and washed sweet basil leaves, washed

1 piece of crisp-fried pork skin, cut into squares of 1 cm and put on a plate padek

salt

2 yard-long beans, cut into pieces about 2 cm long

Method

Put 2 metal jugfuls (2 pints) of water in a pot and place it on the fire. Add the prepared bird, the eggplants, the chilli peppers, the spring onions, the lemon grass, the sa-kahn and salt. Cover and let it boil. Add the padek in a padek basket suspended in the soup. When the eggplants and the chilli peppers are done, spoon them out and pound them. Put this mixture back in the pot. When it returns to the boil add the phak tam nin and the yard-long beans. When all is done, add the pieces of pork skin and the chopped coriander leaves, taste and check the saltiness.

Serve in a bowl, garnished with the chopped spring onion leaves. Accompany the dish with young cucumbers and older eggplants and other fresh vegetables (e.g. salad leaves, watercress, etc.).

Note

In cooking this Or Lam, you can also add Duk Moo Sam La (pork bones which have been kept for some time in the broth) if you fear that it will not be 'nua' (flavoursome enough).