This salad is especially designed for hot climates. Heavily laced with fresh mint, it is cooling and filling. Keeps well refrigerated. Derived from eatingthaifood.com.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons raw short-grain white rice
- 1 pound ground pork, chicken or beef
- Vegetable oil as needed
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (substitute soy sauce)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1–2 shallots
- A few leaves cilantro
- 5 green onions
- 20 leaves or so fresh mint
- Whole Bibb or butter crunch lettuce leaves
- Optional garnishes: cilantro, mint leaves, toasted crushed Peanuts
Preparation
To make the toasted rice, heat a pan over medium heat. Add the rice. Stir continuously and toast the rice until it turns from white to light brown. Remove from heat and let cool. Grind to a powder with a mortar and pestle, blender or food processor. You will need less than 2 tablespoons for this recipe. Set aside.
Heat a small skillet over medium heat and add the ground meat. Add a little vegetable oil if needed. Fry the meat, stirring constantly until it’s lightly browned. Remove from heat. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of the toasted rice powder and chili flakes to taste. Add sugar, fish sauce, salt and squeeze in the lime juice. Stir to combine flavors. Set aside to cool.
Peel and thinly slice the shallots. Finely mince the green onions and cilantro. Pluck about 20 fresh mint leaves whole and add everything to the meat. Mix well. Taste test. See if it needs more fish sauce or salt, lime juice, sugar or chili flakes. If you are not serving immediately, chill.
When ready to serve, mound the larb on the center of a plate and surround it with lettuce leaves. Garnish with fresh mint, cilantro and/or crushed peanuts. To eat, pick up a lettuce leaf, fill it with larb and eat out of hand.
