Hot Larb Gai

Larb (or larb gai, “larb with chicken”) is one of Thailand’s and Laos’s most beloved dishes – a minced-meat salad bursting with fresh herbs, sharp lime, salty fish sauce and roasted peanuts. Traditionally it’s served warm or at room temperature as a salad, often with raw cabbage and sticky rice on the side. This is our own take on it: the same distinctive flavour world, but served piping hot with steamed rice and a fried egg on top, turning it into a proper, satisfying dinner rather than a light bite.

The charm of larb lies in the balance between the four cornerstones of Thai flavour – salty, sour, sweet and heat. Fish sauce and a splash of oyster sauce bring the saltiness and umami, palm sugar rounds it off, lime lifts the whole thing with its acidity, and fresh chilli provides the warmth. You can easily adjust the intensity to your own taste: more chilli for those who love heat, more lime and palm sugar for a fresher, mellower result.

The herbs aren’t just a garnish but a main ingredient. Plenty of fresh coriander – both the chopped stalks fried into the meat and the leaves folded through at the end – together with spring onion give the dish its green freshness. The roasted, coarsely crushed peanuts add that indispensable crunch that makes larb so addictive.

Serve your warm larb gai straight from the wok, spooned over freshly cooked jasmine rice, with the fried egg resting on top. When you cut into the egg, the yolk runs down and binds the rice and meat together into something irresistible. Add a little extra lime juice at the table if you like, and keep a bowl of fresh chilli close by for anyone who wants more of a kick.

4-6 servings

Ingredients:

Minced chicken 800 g

3 cloves of garlic

2 gutted red chilis

4-5 shallots

Fish sauce 4 tbsp

Oyster sauce 1 tbsp

Fresh cilantro 50 g

4 scallions

1 tbsp palm sugar

2 limes

1 cup roasted peanuts

4 Eggs

Neutral oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Roast the peanuts if they are not already roasted, and then crush or chop them.
2. Chop chili, garlic, shallots.
3. Pick the coriander leaves and chop coriander stalks.
4. Heat a wok with a little oil and fry the minced chicken hard.
5. Add the garlic and fry for a minute.
6. Add the chili and fry for a minute.
7. Add the shallots, scallions and chopped coriander stalks.
8. Add the spice sauces and mix around.
9. Add the dry spices and mix around.
10. Add the coriander leaves and mix.
11. Press over the lime.
12. Sprinkle over the peanuts.
13. Fry the eggs on one side.
14. Serve with boiled rice with the fried egg over the rice.

Pairs with:

A cold Singha or Chang and serve with rice.