What Is Larb?

Larb is a meat salad consisting of ground meat, herbs, chillies, fish sauce, lime juice, and toasted ground rice. Larb originated in Laos, and is also eaten in areas of Thailand (usually those populated by Lao people, who brought the dish to Thailand). 

It is, in a word, delicious. 

Little bits of crispy ground meat (in this case chicken, though ground pork, beef, duck, or even mushrooms can be used) are flavoured with umami-laden fish sauce, bright lime juice, and lots of herbs. 

The addition of the toasted ground rice gives the salad a delightful crunch, along with a buttery nuttiness that contrasts with the zip of the lime. The chililes give the larb heat, and the addition of fried shallots adds another delightful flavour dimension.

Ingredients

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 3cm (1¼ inch) piece of galangal, thinly sliced
• I lemon grass stalk, thinly sliced
• 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 250g (8oz) minced chicken
• I teaspoon dried chilli powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• I tablespoon nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
• I tablespoon roasted rice (See how to make here)
• I Lime leaf, shredded
• Handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• Handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
• I spring onion, sliced

TO SERVE

Chilled wedges of Iceberg lettuce

Fresh green vegetables of your choice, such as Thai aubergine and snake beans (Chinese long beans)

I red chilli, sliced

Method

1. Mix together the chopped garlic, shallots, galangal and Lemon grass in a bowl.
2. Place the oil in a wok set over a high heat until it is extremely hot. Add the garlic mixture and stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown and you can smell the aromatics.
3. Add the minced chicken and continue to stir-fry for about 2 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
4. Take your wok off the heat and add the chilli powder, salt, lime juice, fish sauce, roasted rice and the lime leaf.
5. Stir in the coriander, mint and spring onion.
6. Mix well and taste - it should have a delicious balance of spicy, sour and salty adjust as necessary.