Steamed green beans with sawtooth herb and either ginger or sesame seeds (soop mak tua nyaow )

Ingredients 
•  250 g (½ lb) green beans, topped and tailed; use long, string or French beans 
•  12 cloves garlic, roasted and peeled; cook the entire head before peeling the required cloves 
•  1 piece ginger, thumb-size, roasted and peeled (if not using sesame seeds) 
•  2–3 T sesame seeds (if not using ginger) 
•  2–3 T light soy sauce 
•  1 t salt
•  2 t fish sauce 
•  2 T mint leaves, chopped 
•  2 T sawtooth herb, chopped 
•  2 T spring onion, white stalk and greens, finely chopped 
•  1 T Vietnamese mint leaves, chopped 
•  2 T small coriander plants, stalk and leaves, chopped (use only if Vietnamese mint is not available; use a larger amount if sawtooth herb isn’t available)

Serves two to four depending on the number of accompanying dishes.

Method
1. Slice the beans diagonally or halve them. Steam the vegetable for a few minutes until lightly cooked. Remove to a mixing bowl. 
2. Dry roast the sesame seeds until golden. Remove them before completely browned. Set aside to cool. 
3. Put the peeled, roasted garlic cloves and salt in a mortar. Slice the roasted ginger if using. Add to the mortar. Pound the ingredients together until wellintegrated. Tip this mixture over the beans. 
4. Add the soy and fish sauce and gently mix into the salad by hand. Add the chopped mint, sawtooth herb and coriander. 
5. Add the dry roasted sesame seeds if using and gently mix in by hand. 
6. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish.

Most of information come from Food from Northern Laos  (The Boat Landing Cook book)
Video by: Amber kelly