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Larb Moo (Thai minced pork salad with lettuce cups) ​

- Serves 3-4

Thai larb made with minced pork (larb moo) is one of the most popular Thai streets foods in Isaan cuisine. It's a flavorful combination of minced pork, lime juice, fish sauce, refreshing herbs and plenty of chili. It’s spicy yet cool and refreshing, and an absolute treat served in fresh lettuce cups.

Image by Luisa Brimble
Ingredients

  • ​1 tablespoon uncooked Thai sticky rice

  • 300 grams minced pork (minced chicken or lamb or beef will also work well)

  • ½ - 1 tablespoon chili flakes (prik bon - I always add a good tablespoon)

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1-2 tablespoons fish sauce (depending on the brand)

  • 1 - 2 Thai limes or 1 large lemon (I used the juice from about 1.5 Thai limes)

  • 4-6 small shallots (Thai shallots are  about the size of grapes, so if you have bigger shallots use less), peeled and sliced ​

  • A few leaves of Culantro, chopped (this is a herb also known as long coriander, it tastes a little like cilantro and can be found at Golden Mile supermarket. if you can't find any culantro, just skip it)

  • 3 spring onions, finely chopped ​

  • Handful fresh mint leaves ​

  • Romaine lettuce cups, for serving ​

Recipes

Toasted sticky rice (khao kua)

1. Heat a frying pan on low-medium heat, toss in the uncooked Thai sticky rice (no oil). Reduce heat to low, stir, and toast until rice is lightly brown and fragrant, and smells almost like popcorn. It takes about 15 minutes or so.

2. Once rice is light brown and has cooled off a bit, put it into your stone mortar and pestle. Pound the rice until it turns into a coarse powder (a blender or food processor will also work fine). Set aside.


​Larb recipe

1. Heat a wok on medium flame. Add minced pork into the hot wok. Fry the pork, breaking it into small minced pieces, until it’s fully cooked all the way through. Take the pork off the heat.

2. Leaving the pork in the same wok, sprinkle 1 heaping tablespoon of the toasted rice powder. Next, toss in ½ - 1 tablespoon of chili flakes (or less depending on how hot you’d like your salad)

3. Add sugar, fish sauce, and squeeze in the juice from 1 - 2 limes or 1 large lemon (I used about 1 ½ full limes). Give the pork and the seasoning a good stir.

4. Add shallots, spring onion and a few culantro leaves (if you have them), and mint leaves. Stir well, making sure the mince is completely covered in herbs and spices.

5. Do a quick taste test before serving. See if it needs more fish sauce (for saltiness), lime juice, or chili flakes. Adjust it as per your own palate.

6. Serve larb garnished with more mint and basil leaves and alongside lettuce cups. Spoon larb into lettuce cups and enjoy!

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