Herby Pork Larb With Chile Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

ShadowThuy

Vietnamese food also uses rice powder, ground from toasted uncooked rice, called "thinh". You can get it in small packets in Asian markets, usually located near the spices and the various starches, like tapioca and rice flour. For crispy fried shallots,Trader Joe's sells containers of "fried onions" that tastes just like it. Saves time without foregoing taste or authenticity.

HR

While I was living in Indonesia I learned from my cook to fry dried onion flakes (the kind you find in jars in the spice section) instead of fresh shallots. This yields a toasty brown and crunchy result in seconds and is much less oily than the fresh shallots, which catch oil in all their nooks and crannies. Tastes delicious too.

Atara

Loved this recipe! The lime levels are perfect. I added chopped peanuts to it which gave it a nice crunch. Would definitely recommend doing a super fine grind on the rice. COOK THIS NOW.

betts

Love this. Makes a great light dinner on hot nights.In my opinion, the toasted rice powder doesn’t add enough flavor for the effort. Use finely chopped unsalted peanuts. Yes I know that the rice is traditional.This recipe is way better than any lettuce wraps in a restaurant. Even good as leftovers. Was tempted to add rice noodles for salad entree for the leftovers.

SH in SM

Didn't feel like toasting and grinding up the jasmine rice, but I had a box of Rice Krispies at home so I just smashed that up with the bottom of a cup instead. Tasted great. Live dangerously!

KWH

Great as written. I'm all for saving time, but ignore the comment about "fussy" rice powder. It only takes about 5 minutes to make and really takes the dish to another level.

C. Musick

I followed the recipe to a tee PLUS added 3 sliced garlic cloves and it knocked out of the park! Exactly like our Thai restaurant's dish. Even better here at home. Good job;-)

Joe A.

A larb also works great as a filling for lettuce cups if you're trying to stay away from rice. An easy sub for the fresh bird's eye chili would be serranos, et al. I keep my leftover broken rice in the freezer; it goes bad fairly quickly.

Bob

This dish (more properly Anglicized and spelled "lahp" - I speak and write Thai after living there for many years) is most commonly made with ground beef, at least in Isaan. This pork version sounds good, and the seasoning seems correct. Try to use real Thai chili peppers - "prik kee noo." That will make it truly authentic, and HOT!

Claudine Jones

General consensus in our kitchen was that this is a keeper. It didn't need extra salt because fish sauce is already salty in our humble opinion. Left out the red chili flakes and added some mild jalapeno. Could probably use a little more lime juice. As to the rice powder: this was the single most dare I say authentic ingredient that I think I would have missed had I not gone to the trouble of making it. Not really that difficult; used my mortar and pestle.

MFP

Excellent recipe. The toasted rice added that great Larb texture. Next time will make a bunch and keep it on hand.

quilter

I left out the bird chili and used about 1/3 of a jalapeño-no seeds, used 1 T miso paste with a couple tablespoons of low sodium soy mixed to sub for fish sauce, forgot the sugar and omitted the rice. Served on a leaf of bok Choy with a base of jasmine rice and heaped the pork and herb mix on top. Also added a slaw of jicama, cucumber, red pepper and thinly sliced bok choy dressed sparingly with a mix of soy, sesame oil and unseasoned rice vinegar topped with toasted sesame seeds. Yum!

Barbara

This is the best Thai dish I have ever made, and I couldn't be more pleased!Too fish saucy for some in the family, so more for me...

ecdrury

I've eaten vegetarian versions of this with tofu, mushrooms, and even banana blossoms substituted for the pork/meat. Very tasty!

trowe2

Super tasty and refreshing! I added 4 chopped garlic cloves and about an inch of ginger, cut into slivers along with the pork. Used half a large jalapeño instead of the Thai chili pepper. This reheated well for lunch the next day.

Anthony

Was a little small for us, would add 50% for four people. I did extra fish sauce (extra two teaspoon), three thai chilis, a little extra lime. I also salted the pork as I was cooking it. Delicious. Served it over rice in iceberg lettuce bowls.

Alex

I have glutinous rice flour; could that work instead of toasting/grinding the jasmine rice? Thanks! I love all the herbs and fresh flavors in this dish; I'm going to try it with crumbled tofu instead. :)

Brenda

I made it with pork and it was excellent. I might have used a bit more than the called for herbs. Served with both rice and roasted cabbage. The toasted rice powder is worth the effort. Though, I've used peanuts and fried onions as a past Larb topping and they work.

Momrat3

I cooked it as written, except that I didn't roast the iceberg lettuce. The whole family loved this recipe. Even my picky grandchildren snarfed it down! I managed to get one small wrap for myself, but it was great to see them enjoy this tasty dish. I had brown rice on the side to sop up what fell out of the wraps. Definitely on the repeat list at my house, but I will triple the recipe if family comes to dinner.

Frankie

So delicious, and satisfies all the right flavor notes of this cuisine for me. Using a coffee grinder for the rice is an easy solution to the 'fussiness'. This dish kicked off my absolute obsession with bird's eye chilies.

bippitybop

Add no salt, at least without tasting, because at least my fish sauce is plenty salty and I am an over-salter.

Robin

This is as good as the larb I get at restaurants, so yummy and easy to make. I toasted the rice and ground it by hand in a bowl with an empty wine bottle; the rice is brittle enough to grind easily like this. I used ground chicken, and I found Asian fried onions at my local grocery store. I love how herbaceous it is. Had it with rice, a great dish even for a chilly San Francisco summer evening.

Ruth

Just delicious. I've made multiple times now. I sub jalapeno for the birds eye as that is what I can find and never skip the toasted rice. Delightful and fast!

Carlee

One of the only recipes I’ve made “as written” exactly and it’s incredible every time. No alteration needed :)

ZT

This is always a hit.

danicas notes

Use Arborio rice

Joel

This is such a simple, delicious dish. Larb is my go-to meal at Thai restaurants and it is now in my rotation at home. Amazing!

Betsy

Excellent recipe! Made as is except for the bird's eye chili, which I couldn't find, and used one serrano. Like another reviewer, I gave the option of topping with TJ's chili oil peanuts and served with lettuce cups along with jasmine rice. Delish and the entire family ate. A Christmas miracle if ever there was one!

Nicole

I used crumbled Beyond burger in place of the pork and it came out perfectly. This will be a new staple for weeknights - meatless or not!

Barbara

This dish had crazy umami. I have an umami-meter when I read a recipe, and this one lit up all the lights, but the reality was off the charts. Wow! This larb is in my rotation now. Thank you so much.

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Herby Pork Larb With Chile Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to cook pork larb? ›

Heat oil in wok over high heat until just smoking. Add the pork and cook, stirring with a wok charn or metal spatula to break up any lumps, for 10 minutes or until pork changes colour and begins to brown. Add the lemongrass, garlic, ginger and chilli and cook, tossing, for 2 minutes or until aromatic. Remove from heat.

Why is larb so good? ›

larb Isan is known for its robust spiciness. Minced meat is usually seasoned with lime juice, fish sauce, chilli powder, grounded roasted rice, shallots, and spring onions. Some recipes also include coriander and mint leaves.

Why is it called a larb? ›

It is influenced by the Thai word "ลาภ" (derived from Pali) hom*ophone: meaning unexpected luck or fortune. The laab from northern Thailand where the Lao have migrated, laab Lan Na, is different from the internationally more well-known Lao style laab.

What does larb mean in Thai? ›

Larb means that the dish is chopped. Chopped to the max. And how you add flavor to these chopped creations varies vastly from region to region. The larb spice mix that we have just received comes from Northern Thailand. Laap Muang.

What do you eat with larb? ›

Larb should be served warm or at room temperature with a mixture of crunchy fresh vegetables (lettuce leaves, cucumber sticks, raw beans or cabbage) and steamed sticky rice.

What is the most famous ingredient in Thai cooking? ›

Traditional Thai cooking calls for a whole range of fresh herbs and spices, from ginger to galangal, and Thai basil to turmeric. However, none is more prominent than the fiery chilli, featuring in just about any Thai dish in its various forms—dried, fresh, pickled, and so forth.

Why does larb smell? ›

Why? Authentic larb gai is made with padaek which is a fermented fish made into a thick fish sauce. Fermented fish is what makes larb smell. If you can't get over the smell, this is one of the ingredients that can be omitted from the recipe without any substitutions.

Do you eat larb with your hands? ›

Larb (noun, verb) / laap / : a spicy minced meat salad meant to be eaten with your hands along with herbs, sticky rice, and various vegetables.

What is the flavor of larb? ›

An iconic salad of ground meat from northeastern Thailand. The flavours of laab is fresh, bright and spicy. Super Thai food beginner-friendly and very quick and easy to make!

What is the difference between LAAB and larb? ›

Yes, laab and larb are the same thing. The same goes for laap and larp. That said, laab and laap provide much better approximations of the correct pronunciation for the word in Thai, as the "ar" sound in English resembles the Thai pronunciation the least. With that out of the way, we can turn to the recipe.

What is the healthiest Thai curry? ›

People love green curry because of the gentle balance of heat, sweet, and acid from the chiles, lime, and fresh herbs. Green curry is great with chicken and shrimp because it offers a punch of seasoning to the protein. The long list of herbs also makes green curry one of the healthiest Thai cuisine dishes.

Where did pork larb come from? ›

Larb originates from Lao but is also eaten in North Eastern Thailand where many of the Thai people are of Laotian decent.

How to properly cook pork? ›

Pre-heat oven to 325F (163C). Bake pork roast in the oven UNCOVERED for approximately 25-30 MINUTES *PER POUND* (55-66 MINUTES PER KILOGRAM) Or until internal temperature reaches 155F (68C), rested to a final 160F (71C).

What does larb mean in cooking? ›

/lɑːb/ a meat salad often made with ground pork (= the meat from a pig) and common in southeast Asian cooking: I was served larb, a spicy minced pork salad, with mint and cilantro on radicchio lettuce leaves. In certain parts of Thailand the leaf is eaten with raw beef larb.

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