Thai Chicken Larb
Thai Larb (also known as Larb Gai) is one of the best Thai salads you will ever eat. It's healthy, light, bold, fresh and highly aromatic due to the abundance of fresh herbs and ingredients. To finish the dish, fragrant ground toasted rice is added to absorb all those juices and give it a crunchy texture.
Ingredients
- 500g chicken mince (can substitute with pork, beef or turkey mince)
- 1 cup liquid chicken stock
- ¾ cup coriander leaves
- ½ cup mint leaves
- 3 spring/green onions, thinly sliced
- 4 small eschalots, thinly sliced (or 1 thinly sliced red onion)
- 1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon ground toasted rice (Optional - See Notes)
DRESSING
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes
TO SERVE
- Steamed jasmine rice (optional)
- Assorted vegetables (See Notes)
- Gem lettuce leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Pour chicken stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add chicken mince and a pinch of salt and stir often, cooking and breaking up chunks with a spoon for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through. Drain in a strainer, discarding the stock.
- Transfer hot chicken to a large bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and the Dressing and toss well to combine. Transfer mixture to a platter along with a bowl of steamed jasmine rice and an assortment of vegetables and/or lettuce leaves (cups). Garnish with extra coriander and mint sprigs and serve.
DRESSING
- Place lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar and dried chilli flakes into a screw-top jar and shake until sugar has dissolved. Set aside or chill until required.
Notes
- COOKS NOTES:
Oven Temps: Oven temperatures are for conventional, if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C.
Measurements: We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon = 20 ml & 1 cup = 250 ml.
Herbs: All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed.
Vegetables: All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified.
Eggs: We use extra-large size and eggs are 55-60 g each, unless specified. - GROUND TOASTED RICE
It isn't essential to add this to the Larb but in all honesty it really makes the dish. It's easy to prepare and I usually make a large batch, rather than what the recipe calls for, and store it in the pantry so next time its already done and ready to go. Glutinous rice is available from some large supermarkets or any Asian grocer. To make Ground Toasted Rice:
Dry-fry 1/3 cup glutinous (sticky) rice in a frying pan over low heat, stirring often until its lightly golden in colour and fragrant. It needs to smell nutty and have a roasted aroma. Allow to cool completely, then grind in a mortar and pestle until a coarse powder. Store in an airtight container or screw-top glass jar in a cool dark place. Use as required. - ASSORTED VEGETABLES
I like to serve with an assortment of vegetables such as green or red cabbage wedges, sliced cucumber and green beans (or snake beans). Other options include tomato wedges, sliced radishes or lettuce cups. Gem lettuce or baby cos works well for these.