Laotian Larb with Beef Chip
As seen on TV
Which Show?
Who made this dish?
A Laotian larb built on paper-thin top sirloin, with a dehydrated beef chip as a secondary preparation that doubled as an edible vessel. Malyna drew the top sirloin by default - the last cut left on the table - and leaned into a thin-slice approach to work around the tougher seam of the muscle. For crowd appeal she dialled the heat down from her usual; the judges wanted her to turn it back up.
Malyna: "I've never had a top sirloin in my steakhouse. Right now I'm just trying to cut around this tougher part. I'm thinking about making Laotian larb salad. The beef really thinly sliced will help the texture. I know Kim and I ended up last, but since only one of us will be eliminated, I only need to out-cook Kim to survive. I feel horrible for saying that. I love Kim."
Malyna: "This meat is going to be used for my chips. I just want to impart a little bit of the charcoal flavour. So the two ways that I'm going to cook my top sirloin is: for one, I'm gonna make beef chips, which are like beef jerky. And the second way is as the protein in the salad."
Malyna (to judges): "I did a Laotian larb salad, which is a beef salad, and then I made a beef chip, so you can use that as a vessel or eat it on its own."
Malyna (after): "I'm really stressed. That didn't go well for me. I could not leave on the meat commandment because I run a steakhouse. I really want to stay in this competition. It's a million dollars. It's life changing."
Michael Cimarusti: "Would Laotian typically not be as spicy as, like, a Thai version?"
Malyna: "I like it very spicy, but to kind of appeal to the people in the Carnivore Classic, I mellowed it out a little bit."
Michael Cimarusti: "I really wanted it to be spicier. More fish sauce, more lime. I understand you're cooking for the crowd, but at the same time, you got to be true to yourself. If you would eat it spicy, then give it to people spicy and let them decide."
Padma: "I think your knife cuts are a little irregular, and I would watch that because there's nowhere to hide. It is part of the challenge."
Padma (at elimination): "Malyna, you did do an excellent job highlighting the beef two ways, but your dish ultimately lacked flavour."
RESULT: Bottom three. Safe. Moving on in the competition.
