Pork Laab

Pork Laab

The magic of pork laab (also known as moo larb or laap) lies in the simple yet strikingly effective combo of fresh herbs and toasted rice to season this ground meat salad. Cilantro, scallions and mint balance the richness of the meat, while the nutty flavor of the ground rice — an essential component of laab — complements the zingy lime juice. Many Thai recipes call for ingredients that can be tough to find in the U.S., but this northern Thai salad is an outlier. You can opt for dried Thai chiles, if you’ve got them, or you can achieve your desired heat level by grinding up crushed red pepper.

Yield: 4 servings as part of a larger Thai meal, 2 servings as a main course

3 tablespoons uncooked jasmine rice

1 pound ground pork

1 small shallot, thinly sliced

3 to 4 tablespoons lime juice (about 1½ limes)

2 tablespoons fish sauce

½ to 1½ teaspoons ground red chiles (preferably Thai; see Tip), to taste

¼ cup packed cilantro leaves and stems, chopped

2 scallions, thinly sliced

¼ cup packed fresh mint leaves, roughly torn, plus more for serving

Raw green cabbage wedges, long beans, cucumber slices, and lettuce leaves, for serving

In a small, dry skillet, toast the rice on medium for 10 minutes until browned and fragrant, shaking or stirring often. Cool completely. Grind in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder until a coarse powder, like cornmeal.

In a medium saucepan, combine the pork and 1 tablespoon water. Cook on medium 5 minutes, until pork is cooked through but not browned, breaking up into small bits and stirring often. Remove from heat.

To the pork, add the shallot, lime juice, fish sauce and chile. Stir to combine. Add the cilantro and scallions.

Just before serving, stir in half of the toasted ground rice. Taste and add remaining rice for more crunch, if desired. Fold in the mint. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with more mint, if desired. Serve with cabbage wedges, long beans, cucumbers and lettuce leaves.

Tip: If you can’t find ground Thai chiles, you can finely grind crushed red pepper flakes in a spice grinder. Just be careful when removing the lid of your spice grinder, as the potent dust cloud that floats up can be cough inducing.

Laab moo has been on heavy rotation in my house for about 15 years, since I watched a lady in Thailand make it and asked her to share the ingredients with me. This is the closest recipe I’ve ever seen to the one I make. I use chopped fresh Thai birdseye chillies and add them to the cooked pork mince with the lime juice and the fish sauce to steep while I chop and mix the remaining salad-y bits, before mixing everything together. I like it hot! Also I don’t bother with toasting/grinding rice, too much faff for me - I use bashed up raw cashews. Eaten in baby gem lettuce cups. SO GOOD.

This is so delish and simple. Don’t skip the rice- it’s easier than you think, and gives the dish its authentic crunch. I served with gem lettuce, extra cilantro, mint, hot pepper, shredded cabbage, and carrots and cukes sliced into oblong discs onto which you can pile the laab… Super summer meal!