Thai Larb (Larb Gai)

🧾 Ingredients

Protein — pick one:

• 300 g chicken (ground or minced)
• 300 g pork (ground)
• 300 g firm tofu (crumbled)
• 1 can chickpeas (drained, roughly mashed)
• 300 g mushrooms (finely chopped or pulsed in food processor)
• 250 g edamame (shelled)

Fresh aromatics:

• 2 shallots (finely diced)
• 1 small red onion or shallot (thinly sliced — for the herb mix)

Herbs and vegetables:

• 1 cup fresh mint leaves (roughly torn)
• 1 cup fresh cilantro (roughly chopped)
• 3–4 green onions / scallions (sliced thin)
• 1–2 Thai chilies (thinly sliced — adjust to taste)
• 1 cup cucumber (thinly sliced — for serving)

Lettuce cups (for serving):

• 1 head butter lettuce or iceberg lettuce (leaves separated, washed)

Condiments:

• Lime wedges
• Extra Thai chilies (sliced)
• Fish sauce or soy sauce

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Option A: Using Lobo Laab Namtok Seasoning Mix

The Lobo mix already contains roasted glutinous rice, salt, chili, sugar, garlic, spices, fish sauce powder, and lime flavor. No need to toast rice or add extra garlic/sugar.

Extra ingredients:

• 1 packet Lobo Laab Namtok Seasoning Mix (35 g)
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1–2 tbsp fish sauce (to taste)
• 1–2 tbsp lime juice (fresh)

Note: The Lobo mix contains fish sauce powder — not vegetarian. Use Option B for vegetarian versions.

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Option B: From Scratch (Vegetarian-Friendly)

Extra ingredients:

• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (use soy sauce for vegetarian)
• 2 tbsp lime juice (fresh)
• 1 tsp sugar or palm sugar
• 1–2 tbsp soy sauce (for vegetarian version)

Toasted rice powder:

• 3 tbsp raw glutinous rice (sticky rice) or jasmine rice

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🔥 Instructions — Option A (Lobo Seasoning Mix)

1. Cook the protein

• Heat oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat
• Add shallots, stir-fry 1 minute until fragrant

If chicken or pork:

• Add ground meat
• Break it up with a spatula and cook 4–5 minutes until browned and cooked through
• Drain excess liquid if needed (you want it fairly dry, not soupy)

If mushrooms:

• Add finely chopped mushrooms
• Cook 5–6 minutes, stirring often, until moisture evaporates and they start to brown

If tofu:

• Add crumbled tofu
• Cook 5–6 minutes, stirring often, until golden and slightly crispy on the edges
• Drain excess liquid if needed

If chickpeas or edamame:

• Add to the pan with shallots
• Cook 3–4 minutes, stirring to heat through

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2. Season with Lobo mix

• Add the full packet of Lobo Laab Namtok Seasoning Mix
• Stir well to coat everything evenly
• Cook 1 more minute

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3. Add lime juice

• Remove pan from heat
• Squeeze lime juice over the mixture
• Stir to combine

The Lobo mix has lime flavor but fresh lime juice makes a big difference — don’t skip it.

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4. Add herbs

• Add sliced green onions, sliced red onion, and sliced Thai chilies
• Add mint leaves and cilantro
• Toss everything together gently

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5. Taste and adjust

• Taste and adjust with more fish sauce or lime juice if needed
• Larb should be sour, salty, spicy, and herbaceous — bold and bright

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🔥 Instructions — Option B (From Scratch)

1. Make toasted rice powder

• Heat a dry pan over medium-low heat
• Add raw glutinous rice or jasmine rice
• Toast, stirring constantly, for 5–8 minutes until golden brown and fragrant
• Remove from heat and let cool
• Grind in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder until coarsely ground (not too fine — you want some texture)
• Set aside

Toasted rice powder gives larb its signature nutty, toasty flavor and slight crunch.

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2. Cook the protein

• Heat oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat
• Add shallots and garlic, stir-fry 1 minute until fragrant

If chicken or pork:

• Add ground meat
• Break it up with a spatula and cook 4–5 minutes until browned and cooked through
• Drain excess liquid if needed

If mushrooms:

• Add finely chopped mushrooms
• Cook 5–6 minutes, stirring often, until moisture evaporates and they start to brown

If tofu:

• Add crumbled tofu
• Cook 5–6 minutes, stirring often, until golden and slightly crispy on the edges
• Drain excess liquid if needed

If chickpeas or edamame:

• Add to the pan with aromatics
• Cook 3–4 minutes, stirring to heat through

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3. Season

• Add fish sauce (or soy sauce for vegetarian) — start with 2 tbsp, taste, add more if needed
• Add sugar
• Stir well to coat everything evenly
• Cook 1 more minute

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4. Add lime juice

• Remove pan from heat
• Squeeze lime juice over the mixture
• Stir to combine

Adding lime juice off the heat preserves its bright, fresh flavor.

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5. Add herbs and toasted rice powder

• Add sliced green onions, sliced red onion, and sliced Thai chilies
• Add mint leaves and cilantro
• Add 2 tbsp of the toasted rice powder (save the rest for serving)
• Toss everything together gently

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6. Taste and adjust

• Taste and adjust with more fish sauce (or soy sauce), lime juice, or chili as needed
• Larb should be sour, salty, spicy, and herbaceous — bold and bright

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🍽️ Serve

• Spoon larb into lettuce cups
• Serve with cucumber slices on the side
• Offer lime wedges, sliced chilies, and fish sauce/soy sauce on the side
• Option A: serve with steamed jasmine rice if desired
• Option B: serve with steamed jasmine rice and extra toasted rice powder on the side

Traditional way: eat by scooping larb into a lettuce leaf, adding a cucumber slice, and squeezing lime on top.

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⚠️ Key Tips

• Larb should be served warm or at room temperature — not piping hot, not cold
• The herbs go in raw, off the heat — they should taste fresh and bright
• Don’t overcook the meat — it should be just cooked through, not dry
• Larb is meant to be bold — don’t be shy with lime, fish sauce, and chili
• Option A: the Lobo mix already has salt, chili, and sugar — go easy on extra seasoning at first, then adjust
• Option B: toasted rice powder is essential for the from-scratch version — it gives the dish its signature texture and flavor
• Vegetarian: use Option B with soy sauce instead of fish sauce — the Lobo mix contains fish sauce powder
• For extra authenticity, use pork blood cubes (traditional in Laos/Isan) — skip if unavailable

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🍗 🐷 🫘 Protein Variations at a Glance

Protein	Prep	Cook time	Notes
Ground chicken	Add after aromatics	4–5 min	Most common — light, takes on flavors well
Ground pork	Add after aromatics	4–5 min	Rich and juicy — also very traditional
Firm tofu (crumbled)	Add after aromatics	5–6 min	Crumble by hand for best texture
Mushrooms (finely chopped)	Add after aromatics	5–6 min	Great meaty texture — best tofu alternative
Chickpeas (mashed)	Add after aromatics	3–4 min	Hearty and satisfying
Edamame (shelled)	Add after aromatics	3–4 min	Firm, bright, pairs naturally with Thai flavors

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👍 Result

With chicken: Bright, herbaceous, and zesty — juicy ground chicken tossed with fresh mint, cilantro, lime, and toasty rice powder in crunchy lettuce cups.

With pork: Richer and more savory — the fat in the pork adds depth to the bold, tangy dressing.

With tofu or chickpeas: A fully vegetarian larb that keeps all the punchy, herby, limey flavors — just as satisfying without the meat.

With mushrooms: Deeply savory with a satisfying chew — the mushrooms soak up the bold seasoning beautifully.