Larb is sort of like the meat sibling of som tam; They are made from different ingredients, but go incredibly well together.
It’s a staple dish of Thai Isaan food, it’s easy to make, and it’s a brilliant combination of ingredients. A spoon of larb (ลาบ) followed by a ball of fresh sticky rice, is one of the great flavor combinations.
Larb is a Thai salad, but it’s not a vegetable salad, instead it’s a meat salad. The minced pork is wonderfully seasoned with fish sauce, chili flakes, lime juice, toasted sticky rice to give it some crunchy texture, and a wonderful assortment of fresh herbs to bring it all together.
Laab Moo is a dish originating from the North-East (Isan) region of Thailand. It is popular throughout the country and you will find it at eateries from the very North to the deep South. Traditionally it’s eaten with sticky ric.
Larb is most often made with chicken, beef, duck, fish, pork or mushrooms, flavored with fish sauce, lime juice, padaek, roasted ground rice and fresh herbs. The meat can be either raw or cooked; it is minced and mixed with chili, mint and, optionally, assorted vegetables. Roughly ground toasted rice (khao khoua) is also a very important component of the dish. The dish is served at room temperature and usuall.y with a serving of sticky rice and raw vegetables.
- 1 pound (460g) ground pork
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 2 green onions (scallions)
- 15 mint leaves
- 2 stalks lemongrass, just the bottom 2 inches, outer leaves removed and discarded
- 3 kaffir lime leaves, very thinly sliced
- ½ a whole shallot, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon toasted rice powder
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
- juice squeezed from 1 and ½ limes
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (adjust for preferred spice)