Larb Gai

Nutrition · per serving

Steps

1. 1

   Toast the rice in a dry small pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden and fragrant. Transfer to a mortar or spice grinder and grind to a fairly fine powder. Set aside. This should smell nutty, not burnt.

   15 g uncooked glutinous rice
2. 2

   In a bowl, stir together the fish sauce, lime juice, and water until combined. Taste: it should be punchy, salty, and sharp, as the chicken and herbs will mellow it.

   25 ml fish sauce30 ml fresh lime juice45 ml water
3. 3

   Place the ground chicken in a small pan with 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, breaking it up continuously, until just cooked through and no pink remains. Add a splash more dressing or water if needed to keep it moist rather than browned.

   250 g ground chicken25 ml fish sauce30 ml fresh lime juice45 ml water
4. 4

   Turn off the heat. While the chicken is still hot, add the shallot, spring onion, chilli, toasted rice powder, mint, coriander, and the remaining dressing. Toss thoroughly so the warm chicken lightly softens the shallot and absorbs the seasoning. Let it sit for 1 minute to hydrate the rice powder.

   40 g shallot, thinly sliced20 g spring onion, thinly sliced1-2 small bird's eye chilli, finely sliced15 g uncooked glutinous rice15 g fresh mint leaves, roughly torn10 g fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped25 ml fish sauce30 ml fresh lime juice45 ml water
5. 5

   Spoon the larb into lettuce leaves or onto a plate. Garnish with extra mint and serve immediately with lime wedges for squeezing over.

   8 leaves little gem lettuce leaves5 g extra mint leaves2 wedges lime wedges

Origin & History

Larb is a classic dish of Laos and northeastern Thailand, where it is deeply tied to everyday meals and celebrations. Larb gai, made with chicken, is one of the most widely known versions, seasoned with lime, fish sauce, herbs, chilli, and toasted rice powder for its distinctive nutty finish.