ลาบหมู (Larb Moo)
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Rated 4.5 Stars from 3765 reader reviews
First published on May 29, 2014
Recipe by W. Tipsuwan
One Thai food group that is often overlooked by westerners is salad. Of course most of you are familiar with Som Tom, our delicious green Papaya Salad, but did you know that we have a delicious minced meat salad call Larb? It's a spicy combination of chopped lean meat, toasted and ground rice, ground hot chili, mint, shallots, and other seasonings. This recipe for Larb Moo is made with chopped pork loin, but you can use ground beef or chicken for an equally delicious result.Try it, you'll love it.
How to make the toasted rice:
Note: Some markets in Thailand have this toasted and ground rice already done and sold in small bags. If you already have the rice, you can skip to step 4.
Take about 1/2 cup of rice and toast it in a wok or frying pan over medium heat for about 5 - 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
When the rice is mostly golden brown in color, let it cool then transfer to a mortar and grind until most of the rice is crushed and you get a rough powder.
You can do this in a food processor, coffee grinder, etc., but be careful not to grind it too fine. You do not want it to be fine like flour. It should have a lot of texture.
Preparation and Cooking:
If not already done, chop the pork loin. Cut the green onion into 1/2 inch pieces. Pluck the leaves from the mint. Cut the stalk and leaves of the coriander and roughly chop it. Save a few nice mint and coriander leaves to use as a garnish. Slice half a red onion or about 2 - 3 red shallots. Juice enough limes to get about 1 - 2 Tablespoons of juice. Measure and assemble the sauces and seasonings so they are ready.
Heat a wok over medium flame and add 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil. Stir fry the pork until it is mostly cooked.
Add a little water to the pan, just enough to get the pork moist. Add the salt, sugar, soy sauce, and fish sauce and continue cooking for about 1 minute, or until the pork is thoroughly cooked.
Add the ground rice, ground chili, and lime juice. Stir it in well, and let it cook for a few seconds until the sauce starts to thicken. Then add about 1/2 of the cut onion or shallots, saving the rest for a garnish at the end. Cook until the onion is a little soft
Add the green onion, coriander (cilantro) leaves and cut stalks, and the mint leaves. (Be sure to save some nice leaves for a garnish) Stir well and remove from the flame. You just need to let the leaves wilt a little. Don't overcook.
Serving:
Serve both servings together on a small plate, to be shared.
Garnish with a generous hand full of fresh mint leaves, some coriander leaves, and a few slices of raw onion. Sprinkle a little more ground rice over the top.
Serve with some fresh green onions, cucumbers, lard long green beans, cabbage, or other fresh crunchy vegetables.
Larb is normally eaten along with other Isaan foods, such as papaya salad and sticky rice, but it can be enjoyed alone with a array of fresh vegetables and regular steamed rice.