Thai pork larb
Make the classic Thai larb with ground toasted rice, a seasoning which gives larb its unique character and adds a slight crunch and smokiness. What a way to say I larb you.
Ingredients
- 15g/½oz uncooked glutinous rice
- 1½ tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 large banana shallot, finely sliced
- 1–2 tsp dried red chilli flakes
- 250g/9oz pork mince
- small handful fresh mint leave, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced
- ¼ tsp maple syrup (optional)
- 1 Little Gem lettuce, trimmed and leaves separated (optional)
- Thai sticky rice, cooked, to serve (optional)
Method
Put the uncooked glutinous rice into a shallow frying pan over a medium-high heat and toast until the rice turns golden in colour, about 7–8 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Use a food processor to grind the toasted rice, or pound it with a pestle and mortar, until it reaches a fine, sand-like texture.
Mix together the fish sauce, lime juice, shallots, chilli flakes and ground toasted rice in a small bowl. This is your larb dressing.
Add 1–2 tablespoons of water to a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the minced pork and stir until the pork is cooked through – about 7–8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Pour the larb dressing over the cooked pork then add the mint, coriander, spring onion and maple syrup, if using. Fold the ingredients together before serving on a bed of Little Gem lettuce and Thai sticky rice, if you like.
Recipe Tips
The maple syrup, although not traditional, helps to balance out the sour taste of lime juice to make this larb more palatable.
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