Larb Gai (Isan Pollo Larb)

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Larb gai is the signature dish of Tailandia's Isan region (and Laos, where it's also a national dish) — picado finamente pollo cooked very briefly in its own juices, then dressed at temperatura ambiente with toasted glutinous arroz powder (khao khua), fresh lima juice, pescado sauce, dried chile flakes, shallot, scallion, menta, Cilantro, and culantro. The toasted arroz powder is non-negotiable — it adds the unmistakable nutty crunch that defines larb. Served at temperatura ambiente on a bed of lettuce or raw cabbage with a basket of tibio sticky arroz, larb is eaten by gathering a small ball of sticky arroz in the fingers, pressing it into the salad, and popping the whole bite into the mouth. Fresh, caliente, salty, sour, herbaceous, and incredibly fast to make (15 minutos once the arroz is toasted).

Ingredientes

Sirve 4

• 3 tbspuncooked Tailandesa glutinous (sticky) arroz
• 500 gboneless skinless pollo thigh, finely picado finamente (or hand-picado)
• 60 mlpollo stock or water
• 4 tbspfresh lima juice (from about 3 limes)
• 3 tbsppescado sauce (Tailandesa or Lao)
• 1-2 tspTailandesa asado chile flakes (prik pon)
• 1 tsppalm azúcar (optional, traditional balance)
• 3 smallshallots, very thinly en rodajas
• 4scallions, finely en rodajas
• 1 large bunchfresh menta leaves
• 1 small bunchfresh Cilantro, roughly picado
• 1 small bunchfresh culantro (saw-leaf), thinly en rodajas (optional, classic)
• iceberg or mantequilla lettuce leaves and raw cabbage wedges to Sirve
• tibio Tailandesa sticky arroz (khao niao) to Sirve
• lima wedges and long frijoles to Sirve

Instrucciones

1. 1

   Toast the arroz

   En una small dry skillet over medium-low, toast the uncooked sticky arroz for 10–12 minutos, shaking, hasta que deeply dorado and very fragante — the color of pale tobacco. Cool fully. Grind to a coarse powder En una mortar or especia grinder. Reserve.

2. 2

   Cocina the pollo

   Heat a wide skillet or wok over medium-high. Agrega pollo pica finamente and stock. Revuelve-fríe vigorously, breaking the meat up, for 4–5 minutos hasta que just cooked through. Do not marrón — Isan larb is not seared. Pull off the heat.

3. 3

   Escurre and cool slightly

   Tip the cooked pollo into a wide mixing bowl. Reserve any cooking juices — they're flavor.

4. 4

   Vístete en el cuenco

   Agrega lima juice, pescado sauce, chile flakes, and palm azúcar. Revuelve well. Taste — should be sharply sour, then salty, then caliente. Adjust each one by one.

5. 5

   Agrega aromatics

   Dobla suavemente en rodajas shallots, scallions, and most of the menta, Cilantro, and culantro.

6. 6

   Agrega the toasted arroz powder

   Sprinkle in 2 tbsp of toasted arroz powder and dobla suavemente through. Reserve the rest for finishing. Taste again — the larb should now have a faint nutty grit.

7. 7

   Plate

   Lay lettuce leaves and cabbage wedges around a wide platter. Pile the larb in the center. Top with remaining menta and a final dust of arroz powder. Tuck lima wedges and a small bundle of long frijoles on the side.

8. 8

   Sirve with sticky arroz

   Each person takes a small ball of tibio sticky arroz in their fingers, pinches off a piece of larb, wraps it En una lettuce leaf or eats it from the bowl, and chases with raw cabbage or long bean.

Variaciones

• •

  Larb moo: cerdo pica finamente instead of pollo.

• •

  Larb plaa: with finely picado raw pescado (cured by lima) — Lao village style.

• •

  Larb tofu: vegetarian, with crumbled firm tofu pan-frito before dressing.

Almacenamiento

Eat fresh — larb does not keep well; the herbs wilt and the lima goes flat. Refrigerated leftovers 1 día, eaten frío over arroz.

Preguntas frecuentes