Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Larb Gai ลาบไก่ Thai Minced Chicken Salad


Not much introduction is needed for this much loved dish from the Northeastern province of Issarn except to say it is also known as larp, laab or laap. Like the other famous Issarn salad Nahm dtok (waterfall grilled beef), khao kua  (roasted rice powder) is use to bind the salad together. Traditionally larb is served with some raw vegetables on the side; I used cabbage, lettuce and cucumber. While I was eating this I couldn't help thinking if those anarchists on the streets of Bangkok would rather not be having some of this over a few cold Singhas instead?
P.S In the next few days I will be posting simple home cooked Thai salads rarely seen in restaurants in the west.

serves 4 as part of a Thai meal
you'll need;
500 g of minced chicken
3 spring onions, chopped
1/2 cup of coriander leaves
1/2 cup of mint leaves
3 shallots, sliced
2 red chilies, sliced
4 tbs of fish sauce
juice of 1 lime
3 tbs of toasted chili flakes
lettuce, cabbage, long beans and cucumbers to serve

Cook chicken in its own juices til no longer pink. Drain and set aside.

Prepare the herbs and aromatics.

Mix cooked chicken with herbs and aromatics, season well with fish sauce and lime juice. Mix well.

Finally add the roasted rice powder, mix well and check for seasoning. You might need more fish sauce and lime juice or even chili flakes.

Serve immediately with a wedge of cabbage, lettuce, sliced cucumbers, spring onions. Sprinkle with extra toasted rice powder and some sliced chilies.

37 comments:

  1. Thai food is back yay! I have attempted to make larb once but it was a complete failure :(
    With all this clear instructions I am sure I will fare better this time. It looks fantastic as usual!

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  2. I LOVE larb!!!! I am now craving for larb, pass me some please!

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  3. My darling you have outdone yourself again. This looks so authentic with all the raw veggies that you served with!

    Sophia xxx

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  4. It's now past midnight but I'm salivating!

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  5. Mmmm... love larb! Also love the pork version.

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  6. What a lovely salad. Thanks for sharing it with us. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

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  7. Hy dear,
    Thanks for stopping by 'Tasty Appetite' n for your encouraging sweet comments.
    Salad sounds awesome and with fab clicks...Lovely mouth watering dish.

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  8. Very interesting and worth a try. Looks tasty!

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  9. Yes! Thanks, I love these yum(my) salads, and I am very curious about the next recipes you are going to publish. Homemade and simple, you promised. Sounds great!

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  10. she is very pretty this salad, my husband would appreciate and I think this is really not easy to make him eat salad!

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  11. Looks very delcious. I'd love to try it.

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  12. Man, this looks so good. I'll have to stop my cooking and try some of your delicious recipes.

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  13. Very delicious looking. This is not too hot?

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  14. Priti ,
    Thank you!

    Priya ,
    Thank you!

    darren ,
    Haha yes Thai is back! I hope you will have better luck this time!

    LMH,
    Thank you! I afraid you will have to make some hehe

    Sophia darling,
    Thank you! Didn't I use to do that ? xxx

    Cheah,
    Haha Thank you!

    Su-Lin ,
    Oh that is good too!

    Mary,
    Thank you very much!

    Jay,
    Thank you and my pleasures.

    Lyndsey ,
    Thank you! I hope you will try it!

    Dorrie ,
    Thank you! They will be simple salads with easy to find ingredients. So stay tuned.

    COLARGOL,
    Thank you! This is different because it has so much punch!

    Bo ,
    Thank you! I hope you will soon!

    All Our Fingers in the Pie,
    Thank you! Please do as this is perfect with the warmer weather you have now.

    little panda,
    Thank you! You can adjust the hotness by the amount of chili being used.

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  16. I am SO paying attention to your Thai series because you are the King of Thai cooking, and I ADORE Thai cuisine, especially their street food. You must make more for me to "eat" ah!

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  17. มากจริง คุณทำดีมาก

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  18. I am so happy to see Thai food is back! We order this all the time but often they are more lettuce than anything else. This looks fantastic and I am wondering what was written in Thai just before me :)

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  19. I have never had this salad but I would love to try it! Love Thai food of any kind anyway!

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  20. Thai is one of my fav Asian foods and your dishes are all so amazing - looking!!

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  21. Very interesting recipe! I never have consumed so much raw mint in one serving..hehe..maybe a sprig or two but never this much. Now I am curious how it would taste like.

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  22. I am loving your Thai series! This looks amazing, do you think this will go well with the steamed prawns? Thanks!

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  23. Great! This is very very good for summer to come soon!!

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  24. Ju
    Thank you so much Ju, I better make sure the dishes are good! You'll be getting Thai all week lol

    muu :) ,
    ขอบคุณมาก :)

    love to eat ,
    haha me too considering mince is not really that expensive :)

    Sinful Southern Sweets ,
    Thank you very much!

    tasteofbeirut,
    Thank you! They will be more on the way :)

    Lady Ren ,
    Thank you! I hope you will try it soon.

    Cool,
    haha it might looks a lot but the dressing and the residue heat of the mince actually cook the mint a little :)

    KL girl in MELB ,
    Thank you! You might want a curry and a stir fry to go with the steamed prawns, this is too similar flavour wise.

    the lacquer spoon ,
    Thank you! It will be indeed! :)

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  25. Harriet from CarltonMay 19, 2010 at 4:07 PM

    Chicken rice was a success for me and this one is another winner!

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  26. So summery! But I can have this any season.

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  27. Oh that larb looks better than anything I have ordered. Can't beef done the same way?

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  28. Dear Tummy,bagusnya masakan ini..sangat sihat..mesti mencubanya satu hari nanti...makcik terfikir jika anda anak makcik..pastinya makcik akan buka restaurant ...anda di lantik sebagai ketua tukang masak haha

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  29. Mmm...very appetising and delicious. Great for wraps.

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  30. Harriet,
    I am so glad to hear that, you are the second person that cooked that dish! :) Thank you!

    penny,
    It is perfect for cold nights too!

    CW ,
    Yes you may use good quality beef like beef fillet ;)

    makcikmanggis said...
    DTerima masih makcik..ini memang sihat sekali :)
    Haha kalau saya anak makcik, makcik dah tentu jadi gemuk sekali :)

    MaryMoh ,
    Thank you very much! It is, thats why it is served with lettuce and cabbage. :)

    大肥 ,
    謝謝!:)

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  31. salam tummy..makcik suka maskan jenis salad ni..atau kita panggil kerabu siam..pelalu makan..selalunya makcik buat dibulan puasa..tak jemu hari2 ada kerabu tak apa..makcik menunggu lagi masakan jenis ni dari tummy.thanks.

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  32. Oh my - do you ever know your way around salads. I need to do this - always up for a chicken salad. Toasted rice powder?Must go to your previous post. (Catch-up morning)

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