Laab Nuea (Ground Beef Salad)

1 lb Ground beef (I use finely chopped flank steak instead)
1/4 cup Limejuice
2 Tbl Fish sauce (nam pla)
1/2 tsp Galangal powder (kha pon)
6 Shallots or garlic, thinly sliced
2 Tbl Green onion, chopped
2 Tbl Cilantro leaves, fresh and chopped
1 tsp Thai red chili pepper, ground (prik khee no pon)
15 Mint leaves

Combine the beef with the limejuice, fish sauce, galangal powder and shallots. Heat a skillet and cook the beef mixture on medium-high heat until the beef is cooked and the liquid is cooked off.

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the chopped green onion and cilantro. Mix thoroughly so that everything is well combined. Remove to a serving plate, spoon the ground pepper on the side of the plate if desired, and garnish with the mint leaves.

Serve with an accompaniment of raw vegetables, such as long string beans or snake beans, sliced cabbage, green leaf lettuce/Chinese lettuce, basil leaves, and swamp cabbage or spinach. (I serve it rolled up in cabbage leaves with sticky rice, or as a cold salad with ramen or cellophane noodles.)