Larb Gai (Isan Chicken Larb)

About This Recipe

Larb gai is the signature dish of Thailand's Isan region (and Laos, where it's also a national dish) — minced chicken cooked very briefly in its own juices, then dressed at room temperature with toasted glutinous rice powder (khao khua), fresh lime juice, fish sauce, dried chili flakes, shallot, scallion, mint, cilantro, and culantro. The toasted rice powder is non-negotiable — it adds the unmistakable nutty crunch that defines larb. Served at room temperature on a bed of lettuce or raw cabbage with a basket of warm sticky rice, larb is eaten by gathering a small ball of sticky rice in the fingers, pressing it into the salad, and popping the whole bite into the mouth. Fresh, hot, salty, sour, herbaceous, and incredibly fast to make (15 minutes once the rice is toasted).

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 3 tbspuncooked Thai glutinous (sticky) rice
• 500 gboneless skinless chicken thigh, finely minced (or hand-chopped)
• 60 mlchicken stock or water
• 4 tbspfresh lime juice (from about 3 limes)
• 3 tbspfish sauce (Thai or Lao)
• 1-2 tspThai roasted chili flakes (prik pon)
• 1 tsppalm sugar (optional, traditional balance)
• 3 smallshallots, very thinly sliced
• 4scallions, finely sliced
• 1 large bunchfresh mint leaves
• 1 small bunchfresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 small bunchfresh culantro (saw-leaf), thinly sliced (optional, classic)
• iceberg or butter lettuce leaves and raw cabbage wedges to serve
• warm Thai sticky rice (khao niao) to serve
• lime wedges and long beans to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the rice

   In a small dry skillet over medium-low, toast the uncooked sticky rice for 10–12 minutes, shaking, until deeply golden and very fragrant — the color of pale tobacco. Cool fully. Grind to a coarse powder in a mortar or spice grinder. Reserve.

2. 2

   Cook the chicken

   Heat a wide skillet or wok over medium-high. Add chicken mince and stock. Stir-fry vigorously, breaking the meat up, for 4–5 minutes until just cooked through. Do not brown — Isan larb is not seared. Pull off the heat.

3. 3

   Drain and cool slightly

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

4. 4

   Dress at the bowl

   Add lime juice, fish sauce, chili flakes, and palm sugar. Stir well. Taste — should be sharply sour, then salty, then hot. Adjust each one by one.

5. 5

   Add aromatics

   Fold in sliced shallots, scallions, and most of the mint, cilantro, and culantro.

6. 6

   Add the toasted rice powder

   Sprinkle in 2 tbsp of toasted rice powder and fold 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 mint and a final dust of rice powder. Tuck lime wedges and a small bundle of long beans on the side.

8. 8

   Serve with sticky rice

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

Variations

• •

  Larb moo: pork mince instead of chicken.

• •

  Larb plaa: with finely chopped raw fish (cured by lime) — Lao village style.

• •

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

Storage

Eat fresh — larb does not keep well; the herbs wilt and the lime goes flat. Refrigerated leftovers 1 day, eaten cold over rice.

Frequently Asked Questions