Name: Larb pork
Eaten in: Thailand
Category: Traditional
Whenever I had larb anything at at Thai restaurant, I wondered at how complicated it must be to make such a dish. It turns out I was completely wrong. What makes the larb is the combination of lime, mint, fish sauce and other spices. Mixed with ground meat (chicken or pork), they give this dish an air of sophistication that only comes second to its taste. They are basically two steps in this recipe, cook the meat, add the spices. It doesn’t get any simpler than this! This is a great starter to any meal, or in warm days, could easily be a light meal on its own, or wrapped in lettuce leaves.
Larb pork Recipe
Print recipeIngredients
- 5 sprigs cilantro (sliced)
- 5 tablespoons fish sauce ((or according to taste))
- 1/4 tablespoon ground dried chili pepper
- 1/2lb ground pork
- 1-2 limes
- 1 small shallot (thinly sliced)
- 1 tablespoon toasted rice
Optional
- 1 green onion (sliced)
- 3 sprigs spearmint
Directions
| 1. | Squeeze juice from 1/3 of the lime on to the ground pork. Mix well and let it marinate for just a couple of minutes until you are ready to cook it |
| 2. | Heat up a pan on high until it is very hot. Add two tablespoons of water and then immediately add your marinated pork and stir. The pork will stick to the pan at first, but then the juice will come out and the meat will loosen from the bottom. Keep stirring until the pork is well done. |
| 3. | Put the pork in a bowl a large mixing bowl that will hold all the ingredients. Add fish sauce, green onion, shallot, cilantro, the rest of the lime juice, ground chili pepper |
| 4. | Mix well and taste. It should be a little bit hot. You should be able to taste tartness from the lime juice and the fish sauce. If you need to add more fish sauce or lime juice, don't be afraid. Getting the flavor balance right is a trial and error process. |
| 5. | Put the mixed ingredients in a serving bowl, garnish with spearmint |
| 6. | Serve with vegetables like cabbage, green beans, lettuce and Thai basil. |
| 7. | Some recipes call for garnishes such as toasted rice, but I like the simpler version of this dish. If you want to experiment with the texture and add some crunchiness, toast 2 tablespoons of rice and incorporate most of it with along with the fish sauce. Save some to sprinkle on top of your dish when ready |
Note
Recipe adapted from: http://www.thaitable.com/thai/recipe/laab
