Issan-Style Thai Pork Larb

issan style ground pork larb minced pork with herbs arranged on a white platter with cucumber, cabbage and beans.

I learned how to make “larb” on my honeymoon in Chang Mai, Northern Thailand. My husband, Aaron, and I took a cooking class together which was one of the highlights of my trip and resulted in this recipe for a minced meat salad. It is based on a Southeast Asian recipe that is also referred to as “laap” or “laab” and is filled with herbs, fish sauce and shallots.

Course Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine Asian, Thai

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings as an appetizer, 2 as an entrée.

Calories 471kcal

Author Kylie Mazon-Chambers

Ingredients

For the larb:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound ground pork
Kosher salt, as needed
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 Thai birdseye chilies, thinly sliced
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1 stalk lemongrass, thinly sliced (tender parts only)
3 green onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup roughly chopped mint leaves
½ cup roughly chopped cilantro

For the crispy shallots:

Vegetable oil as needed, for frying
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced

For serving:

1 medium English cucumber, sliced on the bias
6 ounces green beans
¼ head cabbage, leaves separated
1 small head butter lettuce, leaves separated

Instructions

For the larb:

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the vegetable oil and heat through. Add the pork, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Cook until the pork is cooked through and no longer pink but not browned and season with salt, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the fish sauce, lime juice and Thai chilies.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork to the mixing bowl, draining as much of the cooking liquid as possible.
Toss to combine with the sauce then add the shallots, lemongrass, green onion, mint and cilantro. Toss once more.

For the crispy shallots:

Add enough oil to a 10” cast iron skillet ½” of the way up with the oil. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350ºF . Add the shallots and fry, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown and crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes, lowering the heat if they brown too quickly.
Use tongs to remove the shallots to a paper towel-lined plate and cool for 5 minutes.

For serving:

Add the larb to a serving bowl and top with the crispy shallots. Serve warm or at room temperature with the sliced vegetables for serving.

Notes

You can omit the fried shallots to simplify the recipe. Try serving over rice for a quick weeknight dinner.

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