Grandfather of funk George Clinton once encouraged us to "kick back, dig, while we do it to you in your eardrums."We'll encourage you to do the exact same thing with this bowl of crab—but this funk will penetrate all of your other face holes.
We recently followed Phet Schwader—owner and executive chef of NYC's only Laotian restaurant, Khe-Yo—for a boozy, fish-saucey episode of Chef's Night Out. And when he, Marc Forgione, and the rest of their crew were looking for a post-drinking snack, they turned to the traditional flavors of Laos.That is, the padek—a.k.a the funk.While Chef Phet might keep his own signature vat of slowly fermenting fish and aromatics delicately perfuming his kitchen with a top note of summer foot, you can probably get by with some no-frills fish sauce.From there, it's just a simple boil of beer, butter, black bean garlic sauce, crab, caramelized ginger, and herbs—all dished up in a big-ass bowl. Throw a hefty chunk of baguette on the side—toasted and slathered with Sriracha mayo, naturally—and you have yourself one funk-filled meal.Remember to open the windows.