Note: Larb, the national dish of Laos, makes a simple elegant meal. "Although you can use ground chicken or turkey, chopping the meat yourself gives the dish a finer, more desirable texture," the authors advise. The Toasted Sticky Rice Flour is available in Asian markets. From "Cooking From the Heart," by Sami Scripter and Sheng Yang (University of Minnesota Press).
• 2 whole boneless chicken breasts, or 2 to 3 lb. ground chicken or turkey
• Juice of 2 large limes, plus 1 lime for garnish
• 2 tbsp. rice wine
• 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
• 1 stalk minced lemongrass, tough outer leaves, root, and top several inches removed before mincing
• 3 tsp. grated lemon peel
• 2 small hot chile peppers, minced, or 1 tsp. crushed chile flakes
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp. fish sauce
• 11/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper
• 3 tbsp. Toasted Sticky Rice flour (see Note)
• 1 chicken boullion cube
• 1 heaping c. chopped fresh mint
• 1 heaping c. chopped cilantro
• 1 bunch green onions, green part chopped, white part sliced diagonally
• 1/2 c. chopped Thai basil
• 1 large head leaf lettuce (16 leaves, for wrappers)
• Several mint and cilantro stems for garnish
Directions
On a large, clean chopping board, chop the chicken with a heavy knife or cleaver. As you chop the chicken, fold it over on itself. Continue to fold and chop until the meat is very finely chopped.
Put the meat in a large bowl and squeeze the lime juice over it. Add the rice wine. Cook the chicken mixture in a nonstick skillet (don't use any oil) over medium-high heat, tossing and stirring constantly just until the meat turns white.
Return the mixture with any accumulated juice to the bowl and allow it to cool to room temperature. Add the ginger, lemongrass, lemon peel, chili peppers (or crushed chili flakes), garlic, fish sauce, salt, white pepper, and rice flour to the cooled mixture. Break apart the chicken boullion cube and sprinkle it on top. Toss the ingredients together until they are well mixed. Then add the mint, cilantro, green onions, and Thai basil. Gently toss everything together. Break lettuce leaves away from the head, and wash and dry them.
Scoop 1/4 cup larb onto each lettuce leaf and arrange the leaves on a large platter. Garnish with mint and cilantro sprigs and wedges of lime. Diners pick up a lettuce leaf and roll it up to eat. Serve larb with cooled sticky rice.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories 130 Fat 3 g Sodium 820 mg
Carbohydrates 9 g Saturated fat 1 g Calcium 62 mg
Protein 17 g Cholesterol 42 mg Dietary fiber 2 g
Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 vegetable, 2 lean meat.
It's sound like not original Laotian style Laab laew der to put white pepper, salt, fresh ginger instead of galangal, lemon peel instead of Bai Bak Goot and also Rice wine which never put rice wine in traditional Lao food at all.
It might be your own way or get it from modern Falang's food magazine?
I'm also wondering that even the topic name something made me confusing even though still not access to the details. How to name that "Lao style CHICKEN LARB" Larb or Laab or ....This food is original one is Lao food, why name topic as Lao style?
do you put "lemongrass" on LARB"? do you chop the bone with chicken meat? if you just choose ony meat for a chicken that would be nothing, because a chicken has paltry meat!!!
