Larb
On a hot summer day like today, I want a dinner that I can cook quickly and without too much effort. But quick and easy doesn’t have to mean bland. That’s where larb comes in.
Larb (laab, lob) is a Laotian and Thai ground meat salad with all of the sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors that characterize food of that region. When I get larb in Thai restaurants, it’s served with a handful of lettuce leaves, but when I serve it at home, I wrap it in lettuce leaves, so it is great fun to serve to guests as a full meal or single course if serving small plates. It is usually eaten at room temperature with handfuls of fresh herbs thrown in just before eating, which makes for a light, refreshing, healthy summer dinner.
While it may seem exotic, it only has a few unfamiliar ingredients. In reality, it’s not much more than a simple stir fry using ground meat rather than bite-sized pieces. My recipe is based on one from Bon Appétit magazine in a section called Cooking Without Recipes. I have modified it slightly to make it more authentic. For example, I include kaffir lime leaves, toasted rice powder, and lemongrass when I have them. Kaffir lime leaves – sometimes called makrut lime leaves – and lemongrass are available at most Asian supermarkets, and kaffir lime leaves freeze well, for use whenever you need them. Toasted rice powder is easy to make – see the note below. If you cannot find these ingredients, leave them out and you will still have a great, quick, flavorful summer meal.
Larb
Larb can be made with ground pork, beef, chicken, turkey, duck, shrimp, fish, or mushrooms, and in some cases, depending on the source of protein, it is served raw. I have even made it with a soy meat substitute for vegan friends, with excellent results, leaving the fish sauce out of the dish as well. When I make larb, I usually use ground turkey since it is healthy, inexpensive, and available at every supermarket. In addition, turkey has a much smaller carbon footprint than many of the other choices.
One aspect of the Bon Appétit recipe that is certainly not authentic are the pickled red onions, which I love. Every time I have ordered larb in a restaurant, it has been flecked with slivers of raw red onions or shallots. But quick pickling of the onions removes some of their raw sulfur bite and adds an additional layer of flavor to the dish.
3 servings, about a 30 minutes
½ red onion, very thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. sushi vinegar
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. ground turkey or other ground protein of your choice
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
1 – 2 Thai chilies or ½ Jalapeño or serrano, more or less to taste
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. sambal oelek (available at Asian stores and most supermarkets, or sriracha)
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 kaffir lime leaves, minced
1 Tbsp. toasted rice powder (see note)
1 stalk lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed and soft inner parts of knob finely minced
½ to 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup chopped fresh mint
½ to 1 cup chopped fresh Thai basil
Bibb, butter, or romaine lettuce leaves for serving
2 limes cut into wedges for serving
Steamed rice for serving (optional)
- Combine the thinly sliced onion and vinegars and mix in a bowl. Put in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
- Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet on high and add the ground turkey.
- Add the garlic, scallions, chili pepper, and pepper, and stir in to the turkey. Cook until turkey is lightly browned and cooked through.
- Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, sambal oelek, brown sugar, kaffir lime leaves, toasted rice powder, and lemongrass and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has almost completely reduced.
- Remove from the heat and allow the larb to cool to close to room temperature.
- Meanwhile carefully separate the lettuce leaves, washing and drying them so they are ready to wrap the larb.
- Once the larb has cooled, add the chopped cilantro, fresh mint, and Thai basil, and mix thoroughly.
- To eat, take a lettuce leaf and add a small amount of rice, if using, along with a couple of tablespoons of larb and some pickled onions. Squeeze the juice from a lime wedge on top, wrap up the lettuce and enjoy.
Note: To make toasted rice powder heat a half cup of dry sticky rice or jasmine rice in a wok or heavy skillet on medium for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Alternatively make it outside on a grill in a disposable tin tray. The rice is done when it has turned a golden brown color. Allow the rice to cool and grind it to a course powder with a mortar and pestle or in a food processor, coffee grinder, or blender. The toasted rice powder will keep for several months in an airtight container stored in a cool, dry place.
