Thai Larb

thai food spicy minced pork salad larb moo 171034460 scaled
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Thai Larb is a favorite – Adjust the amount of chiles and Sriracha as needed.

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Thai Larb

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Larb is a type of Lao meat salad that is regarded as the “unofficial” national dish of Laos. It is also eaten in the Isan region, an area of Thailand where the majority of the population is of the Lao ethnicity. Wikipedia

Larb is an Asian salad that’s considered the national dish of Laos. It features a sour and spicy warm stir-fried meat on top of cold, crisp lettuce. The dressing is made of fish sauce, spicy fresh chiles, and fresh lime juice. Fresh mint leaves provide a refreshing finish. On the list of my favorite sounds would be the crisp snap crunch of super-cold lettuce as you peel off the layers, one by one. Use iceberg, Boston bibb, or any kind of lettuce that has cup-shaped leaves for this recipe.

I like to serve Thai Larb with these other Asian favorites: Biang Biang Noodles, Green Bean Stir-Fry Recipe and / or Sichuan Pork Wontons – Chao Shou.

  • Author: Jeanne Thiel Kelley

Ingredients

Scale

  • Dressing

  • 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
  • 2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce

  • Chicken

  • 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped shallots
  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced lemongrass
  • 2 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced
  • 1 small red Thai chile, thinly sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons peanut oil or canola oil, divided
  • 8 small iceberg lettuce or hearts of romaine leaves
  • Cilantro tender leaves and stems

Instructions

  1. Dressing – Stir all ingredients in a small bowl to blend; set dressing aside.
  2. Chicken – Combine first 8 ingredients in a food processor. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. oil over and pulse until chicken is very finely chopped. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium–high heat. Add chicken mixture and sauté, breaking up into small pieces with the back of a spoon, until chicken is starting to turn golden brown and is cooked through, about 6 minutes.
  3. Place 2 lettuce leaves on each plate. Top leaves with chicken mixture, dividing evenly. Garnish with cilantro and spoon reserved dressing over.
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