Larb

Larb (Laap) Lao

Larb is the unofficial national dish of Laos: a bright, herbaceous minced-meat salad dressed with lime, fish sauce and chilli, finished with the signature nutty crunch of toasted ground rice. It is traditionally served with sticky rice and a basket of fresh vegetables for scooping.

Prep

25 min

Cook

10 min

Total

35 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •30 g (2 Tbsp) dry sticky rice (or jasmine rice), for toasting and grinding; this is the khao khua
• •500 g (1.1 lb) minced meat (beef, pork or chicken), traditionally fatty pork or beef; chicken is the most common poultry version. A home cook should use ~15–20% fat for flavour.
• •60 ml (¼ cup) freshly squeezed lime juice, from 3–4 limes
• •30 ml (2 Tbsp) fish sauce, Thai or Vietnamese brand (Three Crabs, Squid brand)
• •30 ml (2 Tbsp) thinly sliced shallots, about 2 medium shallots
• •15 g (¼ cup loosely packed) fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
• •15 g (¼ cup loosely packed) fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems
• •10 g (2 Tbsp) fresh Vietnamese coriander (rau răm), optional but traditional in pork larb; omit if unavailable and add extra mint
• •1–2 whole dried Thai chillies, toasted and crushed; adjust to taste. Substitute ½–1 tsp chilli flakes.
• •5 g (1 tsp) caster sugar, palm sugar preferred if you have it
• •15 ml (1 Tbsp) grapeseed or other neutral oil, for cooking the meat
• •kosher salt, to taste
• •steamed sticky rice, sliced cucumber, Chinese cabbage leaves and raw long beans, to serve, for scooping

Steps

1. 1 Make the khao khua (toasted rice powder): place the dry rice in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast, stirring constantly, until deep golden brown and very fragrant, 6–9 minutes. Do not walk away — it burns quickly. Cool slightly, then grind to a coarse sand in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Set aside. You should have about 25 g / 3 Tbsp.
2. 2 In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar; stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste — it should be intensely sour-salty with a rounded sweet edge. Adjust with more lime if flat.
3. 3 Heat the oil in a wide skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the sliced shallots and stir-fry until just translucent and aromatic, 30–60 seconds.
4. 4 Add the minced meat (breaking it up well with a wooden spoon), a pinch of salt, and the crushed dried chillies. Cook, stirring and breaking the meat into fine crumbles, until it is cooked through and just starting to catch colour in places, 4–6 minutes. The meat should still be juicy, not browned and dry — many Lao cooks deliberately render off only a little fat. If a lot of liquid pools, drain it off.
5. 5 Off the heat, tip the hot meat into a mixing bowl. Add the lime-fish sauce dressing and toss well. The heat of the meat will wilt the herbs and bloom the toasted rice.
6. 6 Stir in about two-thirds of the toasted rice powder and most of the mint, cilantro and Vietnamese coriander (if using). Taste and adjust with more fish sauce for salt, more lime for brightness, or more chilli for heat.
7. 7 Pile the larb on a platter, scatter the remaining herbs and a final pinch of toasted rice over the top, and serve warm or at room temperature, with sticky rice and the raw vegetables for scooping.
8. 8 FOOD SAFETY — cook the minced meat thoroughly: it should reach at least 71°C / 160°F internal temperature (use an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the meat), with no pink remaining, before you dress it.