Larb Gai (Thai Isan Minced Chicken Herb Salad with Lime)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 25 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Larb comes from Isan in northeastern Thailand: minced chicken dressed with lime juice and fish sauce, heaped with sliced shallot and mint.
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Toasted rice powder is what sets it apart, soaking up the meat juices while adding a nutty aroma and a faint crunch. It is eaten warm or at room temperature, scooped into lettuce or cabbage leaves alongside sticky rice.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Slice 50 g shallot as thinly as possible so it softens quickly in the warm dressing.
Shake excess moisture from 15 g mint leaves, then chop them roughly and keep them aside until the final toss.
- 2
Warm a coated pan over medium heat and add 250g ground chicken.
Press and spread it with a spatula for about 2 minutes, breaking up clumps before the outside firms.
- 3
When the chicken turns white, cook it for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn off the heat once no pink remains and a little moisture is still left in the pan, so the salad does not dry out.
- 4
Off the heat, add 2 tbsp lime juice, 1.5 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp chili flakes.
Toss quickly until the sugar dissolves and the warm chicken is evenly coated without dulling the lime aroma.
- 5
Add the sliced shallot and 1 tbsp toasted rice powder, then toss evenly.
The rice powder should catch the warm juices and make the chicken look lightly sandy, not pasty or clumped together.
- 6
Add the chopped mint just before serving and toss only once or twice.
- 7
Plate while the leaves remain bright and serve warm or at room temperature.
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Thai Larb Gai
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