I’ve got these 2 friends. One is Cambodian, the other is Laotian. I asked them, what makes your larb diff from the other?
They had no idea what larb is!! -____-
After I made this version, they took their first bite and immediately knew. They magically had an answer! ? Let’s start with my recipe first, then I’ll make another post with their variations.
Ingredients
- 1 heaping handful of ground pork
- 1 heaping handful of ground beef
- Chicken broth
- 4-5 tbsp toasted rice powder
- 1 large shallot; thinly sliced
- 3 Kaffir lime leaves; thinly sliced
- 2 bunches green onions; chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 th cup lemongrass; minced
- 1 thumb-size knob of galangal; minced
- leaves Thai basil
- leaves Mint
- 2 tbsp red pepper flakes
- Lime
- Lettuce
- Fish sauce
- Padaek – fish sauce with thick consistency
- Sugar
- Peanuts
Steps
Heat up the ground beef/pork with a little bit of chicken broth. (It helps break up the pieces). Drain excess liquid. Set aside to cool while you prep the rest of your ingredients.
To make my life easier, I put 1 stalk of lemongrass and a knob of galangal in my magic bullet to finely mince (separately). Set aside. (You can replace galangal with ginger, but it will have a slightly diff taste.)
Add a few tbsp of toasted rice powder to the meat and your shallots. The toasted rice powder gives it a more toasted taste with added crunch. Mix.
At this stage, you wanna add in the juice of 2 limes, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 heaping tbsp of fish sauce, and 2 tbsp of Padaek. Padaek should be dark brown in color, and thick. These are the brands I used.
Mix mix mix! Add in your lemongrass and galangal 1 tbsp at a time. Use gloves for better distribution. Keep tasting and adjusting the flavors as needed. Should be salty sour sweet.
Add in your thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves (from Mom’s kaffir lime tree!), cilantro, green onions, and red chili flakes. Mix.
Then your whole mint leaves (These were from Dad’s backyard!) and Thai basil. Mix and taste to adjust to your liking.
Top with peanuts. Mix. Serve with lime wedges, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh thai chilis, and lettuce for wrapping. Enjoy!
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