Larb (Laap/Laab) Minced Meat Salad Recipe & Video - Seonkyoung Longest (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between laap and laab? ›

Laab / Larb (Lao: ລາບ; Thai: ลาบ, RTGS: lap, pronounced [lâːp], also spelled laap, larp, or lahb) is a type of Lao meat salad that is the national dish of Laos, along with green papaya salad and sticky rice. Laab in the Lao language is a noun that refers to meat or other flesh that has been finely chopped and pounded.

larb Isan is known for its robust spiciness. Minced meat is usually seasoned with lime juice, fish sauce, chilli powder, grounded roasted rice, shallots, and spring onions. Some recipes also include coriander and mint leaves.

In essence, Larb is a refreshing Thai salad, usually made with ground meat (typically ground chicken, beef, lamb or pork), lots of fresh herbs (mint, Thai basil or cilantro), lemongrass, garlic, fresh chilies, red onions, lime juice, green onions.

Meaning of larb in English

a meat salad often made with ground pork (= the meat from a pig) and common in southeast Asian cooking: I was served larb, a spicy minced pork salad, with mint and cilantro on radicchio lettuce leaves. In certain parts of Thailand the leaf is eaten with raw beef larb.

Larb is typically served warm with lettuce, an assortment of crisp veggies, and/or steamed rice, though it's also wonderful at room temperature or even cold. Here, we forgo the rice and enjoy the pork larb wrapped in Boston lettuce leaves along with a dipping sauce made from lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and chiles.

Thai food is often healthier than Chinese food. Thai food puts a focus on balance and variety. They are often light and the aromas are just as important as the taste of the food. Thai food uses less heavy sauces and oils than Chinese food uses that are healthier for you, if any oil at all.

One of the things that sets Thai cuisine apart is its ability to blend flavors harmoniously. Thai dishes are known for their complex taste profiles that combine sweet, sour, salty, and spicy elements in perfect proportions.

Thai dishes commonly have herbs and vegetables such as cilantro, lettuce, bean sprout, galangal, basil, and mint. Thanks to those ingredients, Thai food tastes fresh and savory without needing to use any MSG. The result is distinct, memorable, and revitalizing. Compared to processed foods, it's just night and day.

While typically perceived as Thai, larb actually originated in Laos — where it is largely considered the national dish! Over time, the dish migrated and became popular in Thailand. Today, the dish is regional to both Laos and Isan, the northeastern region of Thailand.

Thai Larb, also known as Laab or Larp, is a popular dish in Thailand and is a versatile and flavorful dish made with ground meat, herbs, and spices. It can be served as a salad or in bite-sized lettuce cups, known as larb bites, for a delicious appetizer.

What is the flavor of larb? ›

An iconic salad of ground meat from northeastern Thailand. The flavours of laab is fresh, bright and spicy. Super Thai food beginner-friendly and very quick and easy to make!

Larb should be served warm or at room temperature with a mixture of crunchy fresh vegetables (lettuce leaves, cucumber sticks, raw beans or cabbage) and steamed sticky rice.

Larb has a lot of umami flavor, as the meat is front and center, but it's also quite salty and sour from funky fish sauce and fresh lime juice.

At the Tamarind cooking class we made a laap recipe with buffalo meat (water buffalo that is), though it can be made with beef, pork, chicken or even tofu, mushrooms or eggplant for a vegetarian version.

Raw larb, also known as laab diip or koy nua, is a spicy raw beef salad from Thailand's Isan region. It combines minced beef, often with blood and beef bile, with toasted rice powder and spices, creating bold flavors unique to Lao and Isan cuisine.

Ingredients: Smoked and roasted Bird's Eye Chillies, locally grown Long Pepper (deeplee), Thai Prickly Ash (makwaem), Peucedanum Dhana (maleap), Indian Bayleaf (Cinnamomum Tamala), Coriander seed, Dill seed, Cumin seed, Fennel seed, Sun-dried Sand Ginger, Galangal and Lemongrass and Black pepper.

If you want to eat laap like the Lao do, order it plus any other dishes and sticky rice family style and try eating it with your hands: grab enough sticky rice to fit inside a closed hand and use it to scoop of a bit of laap.