Thai Pork or Chicken Laab

Thai cuisine is famous for its bold combination of sweet, salty, sour and spicy flavours, and this authentic Laab recipe delivers them all in one fresh, punchy salad. Made with pork or chicken mince, mint, chilli, lime juice, fish sauce and toasted rice, Laab is quick to prepare, healthy, and packed with vibrant taste. Best of all, it comes together in just 15 minutes.

Sometimes spelled as "larb", laab is a savoury minced meat salad which has its origins in Laos and is closely associated with the Lao people. Its history dates back centuries and over time, laab's popularity spread to neighbouring Thailand. The preparation between Lao and Thai laab is similar, with the main difference being that Lao laab tends to use coarser meat and is not sweetened.

Want more Thai food? Try Pad Kra Pao - the Thai basil stir fry.

Laab Ingredients

Check out the recipe card further down the post for comprehensive ingredients and quantities.

• Mince - pork is the most common, while chicken is also widely used. You can also use beef, duck or fish. The fat content should ideally be around 20% - lean meat will make the salad dry and crumbly.
• Shallots - it's common in the West to use shallots in place of Thai shallots which are known as Hom Dang. If you have an Asian grocer or market nearby, try and use Thai shallots for authenticity.
• Palm sugar - Optional, but only a small amount of palm sugar should be used. Substitute with brown sugar if needed.
• Fish sauce - brings the saltiness and umami to the dish, with the characteristic Thai taste.
• Lime juice - this brings the sourness to the dish and balances the sugar and fish sauce.
• Chilli flakes - this brings the heat to the dish. Regular red pepper flakes are fine, but if you can get hold of some dried Thai chilli you can toast them in a frying pan until hot and fragrant and then blend in a spice grinder.
• Rice - one of the core tastes of laab is toasted rice, which is freshly toasted and ground before adding to the salad. Thai sticky rice is traditional, but if you can’t find it another rice like jasmine or basmati will be fine. You can also leave this out if you prefer.
• Mint - the dominant herb flavour in the salad, it pairs very well with the other ingredients
• Coriander / cilantro - this brings additional flavour to the salad, but if you’re not a fan of the taste, feel free to leave it out. Traditionally, sawtooth coriander - also known as "culantro"- would be used, so if you can get that give it a try.

Essential equipment you need to make Laab

You need a pestle and mortar in order to grind the rice. The rice adds a nutty flavour and a textural element to Laab.

If you don't have a pestle and mortar, you can leave the rice out.

How to make Laab (Thai Minced Meat Salad)

1. Make the toasted rice.
2. Grind the rice in a mortar and pestle.
3. Cook the mince - this is done with a little water over medium heat, and the mince should not be coloured.
4. Add aromatics - place the cooked mince into a large mixing bowl and add the shallots, mint, coriander/cilantro. Stir and then add the lime juice, chilli, fish sauce, palm sugar, and toasted rice.
5. Adjust the seasoning by adding fish sauce, lime juice, chilli and palm sugar to suit your taste.

Thai Pork or Chicken Laab

Unrated

Sam Knight

Meat salad Beef mince Chicken mince Pork mince Stir fried Thai cuisine

Prep	Cook	Total
5 mins	10 mins	15 mins

Serves 3-4

This is an authentic Thai recipe for Laab - a fresh, punchy minced meat salad with herbs, lime and toasted rice. Ready in just 15 minutes!

• 2 tbsp rice preferably Thai sticky or Jasmine see note 1
• 500g (1.1 lbs) pork or chicken mince ideally 80/20, see note 2
• 80g (3 oz) shallots, thinly sliced use Thai shallots "Hom Dang" if you can get them
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 60ml (1/4 cup) lime juice roughly 2 normal limes
• 1 1/2 tsp palm sugar, grated or thinly sliced sub for brown sugar if needed, see note 3
• 2-5 Thai birds eye chillies or use 1-2 tsp chilli/red pepper flakes, see note 4
• 30g (1 oz) coriander/cilantro, sliced see note 5
• 15g (0.5 oz) mint leaves, sliced

To serve (optional)

• Cooked rice
• Raw vegetables, such as green beans, cucumber, cabbage or grated carrots
• Fried shallots, to garnish
• Extra coriander/cilantro and mint

Steps

1. Make the rice powder - heat a small skillet or frying pan over medium heat and add the rice. Toast until the rice is a dark, golden brown and smells like popcorn. Grind in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder to a fine grind, but not a fine powder.
2. Cook the mince - Preheat a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of water to the frying pan and add the mince. Break the mince up using the back of your spoon while cooking, and stir occasionally. Don’t brown the mince and if all the water evaporates add a little more.
3. Add aromatics - when the mince is cooked, remove the pan from the heat. While the pan is still warm, add the shallots and stir them through, and give about 30 seconds for the residual heat to soften them. Add the lime juice, chilli, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Add the coriander/cilantro and the mint, and give everything a good stir to combine.
4. Adjust seasoning - adjust the salt / sour / heat / sweetness to your taste by adding additional fish sauce, lime juice, chilli and palm sugar to suit your taste.
5. Allow to stand for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavours time to meld and develop. Serve with fried shallots and extra herbs if desired.

Notes

1. Rice - The rice is used to make "khao khua" which is a powder made from toasted rice. Traditionally Thai sticky rice would be used, but use whatever rice you have. Jasmine or basmati work well. You can omit this, but its flavour is an important component of the dish.
2. Mince - because no oil is used when cooking the mince, to prevent it drying out I suggest using 80/20 fat to lean minced meat. You can use chicken, pork, beef or duck mince.
3. Palm sugar - not always used, but I like that it balances with the other flavours. Use brown sugar if you don't have palm sugar.
4. Chilli - use fresh Thai bird's eye chillies or chilli flakes, whichever you prefer. Add slowly and adjust to your taste.
5. Coriander/cilantro - look, I get it - a lot of people don’t like the taste. Leave it out if you want. If you can get hold of sawtooth coriander - also known as culantro - use that as that’s what would ordinarily be used.
6. Water is used as the thermal transfer medium rather than oil as is common. It’s important to keep a little oil in the pan to help prevent the meat from drying out and to help it cook evenly.