Pork larb is an intensely flavored Thai salad – pungent fish sauce, fragrant herbs, tart limes, sweet palm sugar & small red-hot chilies – produce the aromatics that embody all we know & love about Thai food.
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It’s not particularly hard to recreate authentic Thai dishes. The trick lies in having a well-stocked Thai pantry & freezer. Go to Thai Kitchen Essentials to put together your list of must-haves for Thai cooking. Pork larb is an easy recipe to make, requiring no special cooking appliances – just a wok, or a large frying pan in a pinch.
One of the tricks to a good larb is cooking the meat until it browns & caramelizes. By doing this, you’re adding another flavor level & an almost crispy consistency to pieces of the ground pork.
Although ‘larb’ appears to have originated in northern Thailand (originating in Laos, one of Thailand’s bordering countries), it’s seen on menus across the country & on most Thai menus in restaurants world-wide. There are many versions: some have the addition of rice noodles, some ground, toasted rice & some aren’t served with lettuce. Serving it with lettuce is entirely up to you – it’s good with or without. Fresh & vibrant, larb is a must-try Thai recipe. We hope you love it as much as we do here at Fresh Hunger mag. Cheers, Lovoni
PS: Looking to stock your pantry & freezer with a few Thai ingredients? Then you have to check out our article on Thai kitchen essentials. And try some of our other authentically flavored Thai recipes: coconut chicken soup & Thai fish cakes.
pork larb
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or canola or coconut)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass (white & tender pale green part only)
- 2 small red chilies, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon finely grated peeled ginger
- 1 1/2 lbs (750g) ground pork (pork mince)
- 1/2 English cucumber, chopped (telegraph)
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 2/3 cup mint leaves
- 2/3 cup cilantro leaves (coriander)
- small romaine lettuce leaves, to serve (cos lettuce)
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
- lime wedges, cilantro sprigs & extra sliced chilies, to serve
LIME DRESSING
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- 1/3 cup grated palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon ketcup manis (sweet soy) use regular soy in a pinch
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Instructions
To make the dressing:
- Put all the ingredients in a jar with a screw-top lid & shake until well combined.
- Heat the oil in a wok or a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the lemongrass, chili, garlic & ginger. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add the pork & cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until browned, breaking up any large lumps. Add half of the dressing & stir until hot.
- Remove from the heat. Add the remaining ingredients & remaining dressing & toss to combine. Serve with lettuce & sprinkled with peanuts.
- Serve with lime wedges, cilantro sprigs & extra sliced chilies, if desired.
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