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!

Tofu Laab

Tofu Laab

Laab (also spelled larb), a ground meat dish seasoned with fresh herbs popular in the Northeastern and Northern regions of Thailand, originated in Laos. This vegan version requires minimal cooking and features crumbled extra-firm tofu, which soaks up the spicy, citrusy sauce like a sponge. Toasted ground rice is a traditional addition that adds a lovely aroma and nuttiness while thickening the sauce. Makrut lime leaves and crispy fried shallots can be found at Asian grocery stores, at some larger supermarket chains, or online, but both can be omitted. Crispy shallots bring a bit of crunch on top, but chopped, roasted peanuts would also work. Eat it with lettuce leaves for a light meal, or if you’re looking for something more substantial, serve it with sticky or regular rice. For those who are looking for even more spice, top with sliced fresh chiles.

Yield: 4 servings

For the Tofu

3 tablespoons uncooked glutinous (sticky) or jasmine rice

2 (14-ounce) packages extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry

1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed or vegetable

1 lemongrass stem, outer layer removed, tender stem finely chopped

1 shallot, halved and thinly sliced

4 makrut lime leaves (optional), thinly sliced

1 cup mixed soft herbs, such as mint, Thai basil, basil, cilantro and chopped scallions

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated

¼ cup store-bought crispy fried shallots or onions

For the Dressing

4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)

3 tablespoons dark or light brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes or ½ to 1 red chile, such as bird’s eye, finely chopped

Make the toasted rice powder: Heat a medium (10-inch) skillet over medium-high. Add the rice and stir constantly for 4 to 6 minutes until golden, with a nutty aroma. Transfer rice to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind until it is a coarse powder. (You don’t want it too fine; some texture is nice.) You should have about 3½ tablespoons. Set rice powder aside.

Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, brown sugar, soy sauce and red-pepper flakes; whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

Crumble the tofu into small chunks and place in a large bowl.

Heat the medium skillet over medium-high and add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the lemongrass and shallot and cook, stirring constantly, until softened and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add to the tofu, along with the lime dressing, rice powder, makrut lime leaves, herbs and salt. Taste and add more salt if needed.

To serve, spoon the tofu laab into the lettuce leaves and garnish with crispy fried shallots.

TIP: Easy way to get your tofu super crumbly with texture like ground meat: Freeze block of tofu (in package, with liquid), let thaw (takes a few hours on the counter or submerge in warm water for ~1 hr when you've forgotten to take it out of the freezer!), open package and manually squeeze all liquid out of tofu (over a colander in the sink to catch tofu pieces), and crumble into a bowl. Best crumble texture with least amount of work. Also, doesn't waste paper towels as with draining!

I used only one 14-oz block of tofu and kept everything else the same. Was quite tasty that way. I think two blocks would have diluted the flavor too much for my liking. Also agree about adding vegan fish sauce. I added one tablespoon of that to the lime dressing. Nice warm weather meal. Thank you.