Laap (Lao Larb — Minced Meat Salad)

About This Recipe

Laap (often written 'larb' in Thailand) is the national dish of Laos and the centerpiece of every important gathering, from baci ceremonies to weddings. The dish is deceptively simple: finely minced meat — chicken, duck, pork, beef or fish — is briefly cooked or, in some regions, served raw or 'laap dip', then dressed warm with a vivid mix of lime juice, fish sauce, dried chili, sliced shallot, scallion, mint, cilantro and the soul of the dish: khao khua, a fragrant powder of rice toasted dry in a pan until deeply golden and ground coarse. The rice powder is what makes laap unmistakable; it perfumes the meat with a nutty aroma and gives the dish a slightly chewy, sandy texture that contrasts beautifully with the herbs. Laap is always eaten by hand alongside a basket of sticky rice — you pinch off a small ball of rice, dimple it with your thumb, scoop up a bite of meat, and tuck it into your mouth — and a platter of raw greens (cabbage, long beans, Thai eggplant, mint) for crunch and freshness. Vientiane laap is mild and aromatic; Luang Prabang versions can include offal, blood and bitter herbs; Isaan-Thai larb is brighter, hotter and sweeter. All share the same brilliance: minutes to make, endlessly variable, alive with herbs.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 gground chicken thigh, pork shoulder or beef sirloin
• 3 tbspuncooked Thai sticky rice (or jasmine rice)
• 3 tbspfresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 2 tbspfish sauce (Squid or Three Crabs brand)
• 1 tsptoasted Thai chili flakes (prik bon), or more to taste
• 3shallots, finely sliced
• 3scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 small handfulfresh mint leaves
• 1 small handfulfresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
• 1 small handfulsaw-leaf coriander (culantro), torn — optional but traditional
• 1 tsppalm sugar (Lao versions skip this; Thai versions include it)
• to serve: warm sticky rice, raw cabbage wedges, long beans, cucumber, Thai basil

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the rice powder

   Heat a dry skillet over medium and toast the raw rice, stirring constantly, for 6–8 minutes until evenly deep golden brown and very fragrant — like toasted nuts and popcorn. Tip into a mortar or spice grinder and grind to a coarse powder, the texture of fine cornmeal. This is khao khua — the soul of laap.

   Toast a big batch and keep in a jar — it lasts months and you'll want it for every laap going forward.

2. 2

   Cook the meat

   Place the ground meat in a wok or wide pan with 3 tablespoons of water. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking it into very small crumbles with the back of a spoon, just until no longer pink — 4–6 minutes. The water keeps the meat tender and prevents browning, which is wrong for laap.

3. 3

   Cool slightly

   Tip the meat with its juices into a wide mixing bowl and let cool for 2 minutes — just below scalding. Dressing it too hot dulls the herbs; too cold and the dressing won't penetrate.

4. 4

   Dress

   Add the fish sauce, lime juice, chili flakes, shallot, scallion and 2 tablespoons of the toasted rice powder. Toss thoroughly with a spoon, scraping the juices in.

5. 5

   Fold in the herbs

   Tear the mint, cilantro and saw-leaf coriander and fold through. Taste and adjust — laap should be punchy: sharp from lime, salty from fish sauce, hot from chili, with the toasted rice perfuming everything. Add palm sugar if you prefer the sweeter Thai style.

6. 6

   Plate

   Pile the laap on a platter, sprinkle the remaining rice powder over the top. Surround with sticky rice and a generous spread of raw vegetables.

7. 7

   Serve

   Eat with hands, Lao-style: pinch a small lump of sticky rice, press it into a dimple, scoop laap and a leaf of mint, and tuck the parcel into your mouth. Wash down with cold Beerlao or a herbal iced tea.

Variations

• •

  Laap pet — duck breast laap, traditional for Lao New Year. Cook the duck breast rare, then mince.

• •

  Laap pla — raw or barely-warmed fish laap, popular along the Mekong, using firm white fish like tilapia.

• •

  Vegan laap — substitute crumbled extra-firm tofu or finely chopped mushrooms; use vegan fish sauce or soy.

• •

  Larb gai (Isaan-Thai chicken) — sweeter, sometimes with a teaspoon of palm sugar, often served as a one-plate meal with sticky rice on the side.

Storage

Best eaten freshly made — herbs wilt within 2 hours. Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated; refresh with extra lime and fresh herbs before serving. Do not freeze.

Frequently Asked Questions