Ingredients
Khao khua (roasted rice powder)
- 3 tbspraw glutinous rice
Larb
- 500 gpork shoulder, hand-chopped with a heavy cleaver to a coarse mince
- 100 gpork liver, finely diced (optional but traditional)
- 4 tbsppadaek (Lao fermented fish liquid), or 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 80 mllime juice, from about 4 limes
- 1 tspphong nua (MSG), optional, as used in Laos
- 2 tspdried red chilli, toasted and pounded coarse
- 4shallots, thinly sliced
- 4spring onions, sliced into 1 cm lengths
- 20 gmint leaves, picked
- 20 gcoriander, roughly chopped
- 6sawtooth coriander leaves (pak chi farang), shredded
- 2kaffir lime leaves, sliced into hairs
To serve
- Sticky rice, hot from the basket
- Long beans, cucumber, cabbage wedges and Thai basil, raw
Directions
- Toast the glutinous rice in a dry wok over medium heat for 10–12 minutes, shaking constantly, until it is the colour of dark honey and smells nutty. Cool, then pound in a mortar to a coarse, sandy powder. Do not grind it to flour.
- Put the chopped pork in a wide pan with 80 ml water and set over medium heat. Stir with a spoon, breaking the meat apart, for 4–5 minutes until it turns from pink to grey and the water has almost gone.
- Add the liver, if using, and cook 1 minute more, just until it stiffens. Pull the pan off the heat immediately: overcooked larb turns dry and crumbly.
- Tip the meat and any remaining juices into a mixing bowl and let it cool to just above blood heat, about 3 minutes.
- Season with the padaek, lime juice, MSG and pounded chilli. Stir hard for 30 seconds so the meat drinks the dressing.
- Fold in the shallots, spring onion and half the rice powder. Taste now: it should be sour first, salty second, then hot, with a funky depth from the padaek.
- Add all the herbs and the lime leaf at the last moment and toss with your hands, twice only, so the leaves stay whole and bruise-free.
- Pile into a bowl, dust with the remaining rice powder and serve at room temperature with sticky rice and a plate of raw vegetables for scooping.
Technique
- Khao khua is not a garnish. It thickens the juices, gives larb its smoky backbone and stops the dressing pooling at the bottom of the bowl. Make it fresh; it goes stale within a day.
- Lao cooks chop the meat by hand so it stays in irregular flakes that catch dressing. Machine mince packs into pellets and boils rather than steams.
- Padaek, not fish sauce, is what separates Lao larb from the Thai version. It is cloudy, pungent and much less salty, so use more of it and expect a rounder, earthier finish.
- Larb sien and other raw versions exist, but raw pork carries real parasite risk outside Laos. Cook the meat.
Substitutions
- No padaek: use 3 tbsp fish sauce plus 1 tsp anchovy paste mashed with 1 tbsp water to mimic the ferment.
- Sawtooth coriander is hard to find; double the ordinary coriander and add a few celery leaves for the same green bitterness.
Variations
- Larb pa, made with river fish steamed and flaked, seasoned identically.
- Larb ped, with duck breast and duck liver, the festival version.
- Larb khua, where the meat is fried dry with the rice powder for a toastier, drier salad.
History
Widely considered the national dish; served at weddings and new year because the name sounds like the Lao word for luck and fortune.
Frequently asked questions
What is Larb?
Larb is a salad & side from Laos: national minced-meat salad with herbs, lime and roasted rice powder. Widely considered the national dish; served at weddings and new year because the name sounds like the Lao word for luck and fortune.
How long does Larb take to make?
Larb takes 30 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings, as part of a shared meal. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Larb?
Yes, within limits. No padaek: use 3 tbsp fish sauce plus 1 tsp anchovy paste mashed with 1 tbsp water to mimic the ferment. Sawtooth coriander is hard to find; double the ordinary coriander and add a few celery leaves for the same green bitterness.
What is the most important thing to get right in Larb?
Toast the glutinous rice in a dry wok over medium heat for 10–12 minutes, shaking constantly, until it is the colour of dark honey and smells nutty. Cool, then pound in a mortar to a coarse, sandy powder. Do not grind it to flour.
