Thai Larb Gai
Quick answer
- Total time
- 25 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
Toasted rice powder, khao khua, is what turns seasoned ground chicken into larb.
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Rice browned in a dry pan and ground coarse gives the salad a nutty, faintly smoky grain flavor that nothing else copies. The dish comes from the Isan region of Thailand, where it is seasoned hard with fish sauce and lime and eaten scooped into lettuce leaves. Because the chicken cooks gently with a splash of water instead of oil, it stays soft and moist rather than browned and dry.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Slice 70 g red onion as thinly as possible, and finely cut 25 g scallion.
Rinse or check the mint leaves if needed, shake off moisture, and keep the 15 g mint aside so it can be added at the end.
- 2
Warm a dry pan over medium-low heat, then add 300 g ground chicken with 2 tablespoons water.
Break it apart with a spatula and avoid high heat, which can make the meat clump and turn dry.
- 3
Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the chicken turns white and the juices look clear.
If the pan becomes dry before the meat is cooked, add just a small spoonful of water to keep it moist.
- 4
Turn off the heat while the chicken is still warm, then mix in 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 2 tablespoons lime juice.
Do not leave it sitting on a hot pan too long, and coat the meat evenly with saltiness and acidity.
- 5
Add the red onion, scallion, and 1 tablespoon toasted rice powder, then toss lightly.
Sprinkle the rice powder over the surface instead of dumping it in one spot, so it does not clump and its toasted aroma spreads through the salad.
- 6
Add the mint last and fold only two or three times so it does not wilt.
Check that the fish sauce and lime juice coat the mixture evenly, then spoon it onto lettuce and serve at once.
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Turn these ingredients into two more meals
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ground chicken, fish sauce
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red onion, mint leaves
Bun Bo Nam Bo (Vietnamese Beef Rice Noodle Bowl)
mint leaves, fish sauce