If you’ve been to northern Thailand or Laos, you’ve probably eaten larb moo or meat salad.
What is larb?
Meatloaf may not sound very appealing, but it is incredible. Think: juicy minced pork, fish sauce, lime juice, steamed rice and fresh herbs. Paired with sticky rice balls, it’s absolutely addictive.
It is unofficially the national dish of Laos and extremely popular in the Isan region of Thailand. Larb is classic street food, quick, easy, fun and most importantly, delicious.
How to prepare lab
- Block the rice. Use a small skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, 2-3 minutes. Then grind it in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
- Fry the pork. Using a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground pork until cooked to your desired doneness (we prefer it on the juicier side, but a little prefer it is well cooked and dry).
- Stir in the rice chili powder and flakes. Mix well to evenly coat the pork.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Sugar, fish sauce, lemon juice, shallots, green onions, cilantro and mint.
- Mix well and adjust to taste. Enjoy hot over rice!
How to serve
Larb is usually served with vegetables, lettuce to wrap and sticky rice – so good! We had ours with lettuce cups and sticky rice. Sticky rice recipe here!
Toasted sticky rice
The essential ingredient in larb is toasted glutinous rice. It gives everything a nice crunchy and roasted flavor. If you don’t have sticky rice, you can easily cook some uncooked jasmine rice.
How to emphasize rice
Roasting rice is very easy: just throw uncooked rice into a dry pan and toast over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. After a while, the rice takes on a color and starts to smell amazing – like popcorn. Take your time while toasting, be careful not to burn. Breaking the rice is probably the longest part of this recipe. After that you are only 10 minutes away from pig, herb heaven.
Next time you’re looking for a quick and easy dinner that’s a little different, I hope you give this larb a try. It hits all the right notes: sweet, spicy, salty and sour.
Serve lab with:
Larb Moo (Thai Salad with Pork)
Larb: the best kind of salad, with a mix of textures and flavors.
It serves 2
- 1 tablespoon uncooked rice preferably glue or jasmine
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 £ ground pork
- 1 tablespoon chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 Lime with liquidsplus extra wedges to serve
- 1-2 shallots slices
- 1/2 CUP fresh cilantro torn apart
- 3 soft onions slices
- 20 leaves fresh mint washed
- Thai sticky rice or lettuce, to serve
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In a small skillet, brown the rice over medium-low heat, shaking the pan frequently, about 2-3 minutes.
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Once golden, let it cool slightly and transfer to a mortar. Crush it into a fine powder. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
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In a skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the pork and fry it in pieces.
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Remove from the heat and stir in the toasted rice powder and chillies, then add the sugar, fish sauce and lemon juice. Stir in shallots, green onions, cilantro and mint.
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Mix well and adjust to taste. Serve with hot Thai sticky rice and enjoy immediately!
Nutrition facts
Larb Moo (Thai Salad with Pork)
Amount per service
Calories 542
Calories from fat 325
% Daily Value*
Fat 36.1 g56%
Saturated fat 10.8 g68%
cholesterol 146 mg49%
Sodium 598 mg26%
potassium 81 mg2%
Carbohydrates 13.5 g5%
Fiber 0.2 g1%
Sugar 7.3 g8%
Protein 44 g88%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.