National Dish Laos: Larb (Recipe)
In this article
Larb is a meat salad, served warm or at room temperature, and the ingredient that makes it Lao is khao khua: raw sticky rice toasted in a dry pan until dark and ground to a coarse powder. It adds a nutty smell and a slight grit, and without it larb is just minced meat with herbs.
About Larb
Larb is the national dish of Laos and is eaten with sticky rice, which is used as a utensil: a ball is pinched off, pressed flat and used to pick up the salad. The seasoning is fish sauce, lime and chilli, with a great many herbs.
It appears across northeastern Thailand too, where the Lao-speaking Isan population makes it identically.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 200 g minced meat (beef, pork or chicken)
- 2 tablespoons toasted rice powder
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 2–3 spring onions, sliced into rings
- 1 handful coriander, chopped
- 1 handful mint, chopped
- 1–2 chillies, chopped
- Lettuce leaves, to serve
Shopping for the ingredients
Make the toasted rice powder yourself: glutinous rice, dry-toasted for ten minutes until deep golden and fragrant, then ground. It takes minutes and shop-bought is usually stale. Lao fish sauce, padaek, is stronger and funkier than Thai; either works.
Preparing the dish
Chop the meat by hand rather than using fine mince if you can, since the texture should be coarse. Toast and grind the rice powder first. Have the herbs chopped and ready, because they go in off the heat and should stay fresh.
Step-by-step instructions
- Toast 2 tablespoons of glutinous rice in a dry pan until deep golden, then grind to a coarse powder.
- Heat a dry pan without any oil and add the minced meat. Fry until fully cooked through.
- Take the pan off the heat, then stir in the toasted rice powder, the fish sauce and the lime juice. Mix well.
- Fold through the chopped red onion, spring onions, chillies and fresh herbs until everything is evenly combined.
- Serve the salad on lettuce leaves and garnish with a little extra herb for a fresh finish.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Larb contains no dairy. Fish sauce occasionally contains wheat, so check it; everything else, including the rice powder, is naturally gluten-free.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Crumbled firm tofu or finely chopped mushrooms take the dressing well. Use a vegan fish sauce or light soy with a pinch of sugar. The rice powder, lime and herbs carry the dish more than the meat does, so the substitution works better here than in most.
More tips and tricks
Make the toasted rice powder fresh and take it darker than seems right. Dress the meat off the heat, since boiling lime juice turns it bitter. And use far more herbs than feels reasonable: they are an ingredient, not a garnish.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Nam tok is the same dressing on sliced grilled beef. Laap moo is the pork version. Chicken liver or fish are both used. More chilli is standard.
Ingredient substitutions
Beef, pork, chicken and duck all work. Jasmine rice can be toasted if you have no glutinous, though it is less fragrant. Lemon replaces lime at some cost.
Drink pairing ideas
Beerlao is the national lager and the obvious pairing. Lao-Lao, the rice whisky, appears at gatherings. Cold water, because larb is hot.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve it in a bowl with a basket of sticky rice and a plate of raw vegetables, long beans, cabbage and cucumber, alongside. Everyone takes from the shared bowl. Lettuce leaves work as wraps.
A bit of history
Larb is old and carries symbolic weight in Laos: the word resembles the term for good fortune, and it is served at New Year and at weddings for that reason. The raw version, larb dip, is still eaten in some places and is not advisable for visitors. It anchors Lao cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Larb
Larb is minced meat dressed with fish sauce, lime, chilli and toasted rice powder, folded with herbs. Toast the rice yourself, dress off the heat, and use twice the herbs you think.
