Larb
ลาบ
Isaan minced-meat salad — lime, fish sauce, toasted rice powder, herbs. Heat that wants sticky rice.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: ลาบ.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- Hot
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Larb (laab) is minced meat tossed with lime, fish sauce, chilli and toasted rice powder so it smells nutty, not of raw mince. Mint and sawtooth if you have them. It is a salad. If you add coconut milk you have left Isaan.
Ingredients
- Pork, mince300 g
- Lime2
- Fish sauce30 ml
- Fresh chilli, dried flakes or powder15 ml
- Rice, raw, toasted and ground30 ml
- Shallot2
- Mixed herbs, mint, coriander, spring onion1 handful
- Sticky rice, to serve300 g
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Toast raw rice in a dry pan until nut-brown. Grind coarse.
5 minStep 2
Cook mince in a splash of water until just done — not fried dry. Cool slightly.
6 minStep 3
Toss with lime, fish sauce, chilli, shallot, rice powder and herbs. Taste: sour, salty, hot, nutty. Sticky rice.
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 24 August.
Substitutions
Pork → Chicken or mushrooms
Season a little harder. The lime still leads.
Tips
- Duck larb and mushroom larb exist. The dressing stays the same.
- Toasted rice powder (khao khua) is sold in bags if you do not want to grind.
History & culture
Isaan and Lao tables. Sticky rice, raw vegetables, and a lot of herbs. The spelling larb/laab is a transliteration fight.
Minced meat with roasted rice is Mekong cooking. The tourist plate often skips the rice powder, which is how it becomes 'spicy mince'.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation. Original editorial adaptation for I Want Some Food. Not copied from another recipe site. Official recipe photography is pending. Photograph: Sodanie Chea from Norwalk, Ca, United States via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Day%20224-%20Chicken%20Larb%20(7947748382).jpg
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Larb take?
25 min all in — 15 min prep, 10 min cook. That is the time on this recipe, not a guess.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 3 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
Hot.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Fish. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Frying pan, Mixing bowl.
How much salt do I put in?
This recipe does not list salt as its own ingredient. Saltiness comes from Fish sauce — 2 tbsp. Taste at the end rather than adding a number we did not write.
How much fish sauce?
2 tbsp of Fish sauce.
What can I use instead?
Pork → Chicken or mushrooms. Season a little harder. The lime still leads.
Any tips from this recipe?
Duck larb and mushroom larb exist. The dressing stays the same. Toasted rice powder (khao khua) is sold in bags if you do not want to grind.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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