A punchy minced chicken salad tossed with lime, fish sauce, toasted rice powder, and fresh herbs -- northeastern Thailand's signature dish.
Larb (or laab) is the defining dish of Isan, northeastern Thailand, built on minced meat quickly cooked and tossed while warm with lime juice, fish sauce, chile flakes, and khao khua -- toasted rice ground to a coarse powder that gives larb its distinctive nutty crunch and thickening effect. This version uses ground chicken and leans slightly smoky with a touch of smoked paprika alongside the traditional toasted chile powder, an honest adaptation for cooks without access to Thai dried chiles. The technique that defines real larb is toasting raw sticky rice in a dry pan until deeply golden, then grinding it in a mortar or spice grinder -- this step cannot be skipped or substituted with breadcrumbs, since the flavor is genuinely nutty and toasty. The meat is cooked just until no longer pink, then tossed off the heat with the dressing so it doesn't overcook and dry out. Served with sticky rice and a plate of raw cabbage, long beans, and cucumber for scooping, larb is eaten as a shared dish at Isan gatherings -- sour, salty, spicy, and herbal all in the same bite.
Serves 4
Toast raw sticky rice in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6-8 minutes until deep golden brown. Cool, then grind coarsely in a mortar or spice grinder.
Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a skillet. Add ground chicken and cook, breaking it up, 5-6 minutes until just cooked through -- don't let it dry out or brown.
Remove from heat. Immediately stir in fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, smoked paprika, and chile flakes so the meat absorbs the dressing.
Stir in 2 tbsp of the toasted rice powder, shallots, and half the spring onions and herbs. Taste and adjust lime, fish sauce, or chile.
Transfer to a platter, scatter remaining herbs and rice powder on top, and serve immediately with cabbage wedges and sticky rice.
Toast the rice low and slow, shaking the pan often -- it should smell nutty, not burnt, when done.
Dress the meat while it's still warm so the flavors absorb; cold meat won't take on the dressing the same way.
Taste as you go -- larb should hit sour, salty, and spicy all at once, adjust lime and fish sauce until balanced.
Larb moo uses ground pork instead of chicken, the most common version in Isan.
Larb pet uses duck, often served slightly rarer than the chicken version.
Vegetarian larb substitutes finely chopped mushrooms cooked the same way.
Best eaten fresh within a few hours since the herbs wilt. If needed, refrigerate the dressed meat up to 2 days and add fresh herbs and rice powder just before serving.
Larb originated in Laos and is the signature dish of Thailand's Isan region, which shares strong culinary and ethnic ties with Laos. It's traditionally eaten with sticky rice and raw vegetables, and khao khua (toasted rice powder) is considered essential, not optional, by Isan cooks.
Jasmine rice works in a pinch, though the flavor and texture won't be quite as nutty -- toast it the same way until deep golden before grinding.
It likely needs more lime juice or fish sauce -- larb should taste assertively sour and salty, so don't be shy with the dressing.
Yes, both are traditional -- pork (larb moo) is actually more common than chicken in Isan cooking.
Per serving (260g / 9.2 oz) · 4 servings total
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