Spicy Thai larb with chicken or mince
This salad is one you'll want to run on repeat—packed with flavour, quick and easy. It's fresh and bright so perfect for spring & summer but the gentle heat from the chilli along with the mince makes for a great winter salad as well.
As soon as you get the hang of it, make it your own—more fish sauce will up the salt, more lime if you love sour. Coriander and mint are your base herbs but we often add basil. Or swap all these out for Vietnamese mint and Thai basil. Replace the chilli flakes for fresh chilli. The honey for brown sugar. The shallots for red onion. Skip the toasted rice. It's a recipe that's ready to be turned into your own.
Serves 3 without noodles or 4 with noodles.
Ingredients
500g pork or chicken mince
2 tbs toasted sticky rice or jasmine rice
2 tbs chilli flakes
¼ tbs honey
1 tbs fish sauce
2 limes, juice of
5 shallots, sliced
1 bunch spring onions
½ bunch coriander
½ bunch mint
1 tbs beef tallow, pork lard or ghee
1 large cucumber, halved lengthways and sliced
Optional
Rice noodles (or rice) to serve as per packet instructions.
Method
- Toast the rice in a dry pan over medium heat. You want the rice to turn a toasty golden brown colour. Stir or shake the pan to occasionally move the rice grains to avoid burning them. Once toasted set aside to cool then grind to a powder with a spice grinder, blender or a mortar and pestle.
- Place the lard, tallow or ghee into a hot pan then add the mince. Cook through then add the chilli flakes, honey, fish sauce, lime juice and shallots. Stir to combine and cook for 2 mins.
- Add the spring onion and half the herbs. Combine and move from heat.
- Serve with freshly sliced cucumber and the remaining herbs loosely combined. Rice or rice noodles optional.