Larb

Overview

Larb (Thai meat salad) is minced protein — pork, chicken, beef, or duck — dressed with lime juice, fish sauce, dried chilli, shallots, coriander, and toasted ground rice powder. The toasted rice powder is not optional — it provides a nutty, slightly coarse texture and acts as a thickening agent in the dressing. Larb is the national dish of Laos and a staple of northeastern Thai (Isan) cooking.

Flavour Context

Cold Chang lager or Singha — the clean Thai lager and the bright, sour-spicy larb are natural companions. In the Isan context: lao khao (Thai white rice spirit) is the traditional accompaniment.

Key Principles

{"Toasted rice powder (khao khua): dry-fry raw jasmine rice in a wok over medium heat until golden, then grind in a mortar or spice grinder to a coarse powder. This is the signature textural and flavour element of larb","Protein: pork shoulder, minced medium — not fine, not coarse. Cook with minimal liquid until just cooked through, allowing the natural fat to render rather than adding oil","Shallots: thinly sliced, mixed in raw — the pungency of raw shallot is part of the flavour profile","The dressing: lime juice (fresh only), fish sauce (Tiparos), dried chilli flakes (phrik pon) — the dressing is applied to the warm meat, which helps absorb the lime and fish sauce","Fresh herbs: coriander leaves and mint leaves, generous quantities — the herbs are structural, not garnish","Serve with sticky rice: glutinous rice cooked in a bamboo steamer, pressed into balls and used to scoop the larb"}

Pro Tips

RECIPE:

Serves: 4 | Prep: 15 min | Total: 18 min

---

300 g ground pork — or chicken

3 shallots — minced fine

4 cloves garlic — minced

3 tablespoons fish sauce — nam pla

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

15 ml vegetable oil

2 Thai bird's eye chilies — minced

25 g fresh mint leaves — chopped

25 g cilantro leaves — chopped

15 g roasted ground rice — khao kua

2 scallions — sliced thin

Tellicherry black pepper — to taste

Lettuce leaves — for serving

---

1. Heat oil in wok over high heat; add shallots and garlic, bloom 30 seconds until fragrant.

2. Add ground pork; break apart with spatula and stir-fry 5–6 minutes until cooked through and no pink remains.

3. Remove from heat; add fish sauce and lime juice, stirring to incorporate.

4. Fold in minced chilies, mint, cilantro, and roasted ground rice; toss until evenly distributed.

5. Transfer to serving plate; scatter scallions on top and finish with cracked Tellicherry pepper.

6. Serve warm or room temperature with whole lettuce leaves for wrapping.

The moment where larb lives or dies is the dressing temperature — the lime juice and fish sauce must be applied while the meat is still warm. The warmth opens the cell structure of the meat and allows the dressing to penetrate, rather than coating only the surface. Cold larb tastes of undressed meat with dressing on top; warm-dressed larb is unified from within.

Common Mistakes

{"Skipping the toasted rice powder: the larb is flat and wet without it","Using ground white pepper instead of dried chilli: different heat profile — the dried chilli flakes provide both heat and colour","Fine-minced protein: produces a paste-like texture — medium mince retains the identity of the meat"}

Cross-Cuisine Parallels

• Vietnamese bo luc lac (beef salad with lime dressing — a similar dressed-meat-salad tradition); Korean hoe muchim (raw fish salad with gochujang — related in spirit as a dressed protein with fresh herbs); Indonesian urap (coconut and herb dressed salad — Southeast Asian fresh herb dressing parallels).