Thai Larb Gai (Chicken With Lime, Chili And Fresh Herbs)
Larb gai is a flavorful dish from Laos and Thailand's Isan region, made with browned ground chicken, mint, basil, red onions, lime juice, and ground red chiles.It's ideal for hot weather, offering a spicy, crunchy, and light yet rich taste. Traditionally, it's made with roasted rice powder, adding essential nuttiness. You can find premade roasted rice powder at Asian markets, and it's a crucial ingredient not to skip.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup raw sticky rice or 2 tablespoons roasted rice powder available at Asian markets
- 16 ounces coarsely ground or finely chopped white- or dark-meat chicken lean beef, such as sirloin, can be substituted
- ½ teaspoon hot chile powder preferably Thai or Lao
- 4 teaspoons fish sauce nam pla
- 5 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¼ cup slivered red onions
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons sliced scallions
- 10 whole mint leaves more for serving
- Lettuce leaves
- cucumber spears for serving
- 4 cups cooked sticky or jasmine rice for serving
Instructions
- To make roasted rice powder, heat a wok or skillet over high heat. Add raw rice and stir frequently, cooking until it becomes toasted and dark brown, but not burnt, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the rice from the wok and let it cool. Grind it into a coarse powder using a mortar, blender, or coffee grinder, then set aside.
- To cook the chicken, heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons of water followed by the chicken, stirring constantly to break up any lumps. Cook until just done, about 2 minutes, then transfer the chicken to a mixing bowl. While still warm, add the remaining ingredients (except garnishes) along with the roasted rice powder. Mix gently but thoroughly. Taste and adjust the seasoning to ensure it's tangy, salty, and mildly spicy.
- Transfer the mixture to a serving plate and arrange mint, lettuce, and cucumber around it. Serve with rice. If serving with sticky rice, pinch off a small piece, mold it into a ball, and dip it into the larb, scooping up a bit of each ingredient. Alternatively, you can scoop the larb into lettuce leaves.
Notes
Larb gai is traditionally served with long-grain Thai or Lao sticky rice, sometimes labeled as "glutinous." This type of rice is different from Japanese short-grain rice.