Pork Larb

Post date: 07 Jun 2020

Writing this up so that Buro can make it too. <3

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/2 cup - 1 cup white jasmine/sticky rice (not for serving!! it’s part of the main dish)
• 1-2 limes
• fish sauce
• few tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 5-6 dried arbol chilis (optional)
• 2-3 fresh thai chilis, sliced (optional)
• 1 finely sliced shallot (optional)
• 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped (optional)
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped (optional)
• few sprigs mint, chopped (optional)
• lettuce / chard leaves for serving (optional)

Tools

• 1 wok / cast iron pan
• 1 blade grinder

Technique

Ingredient Prep:

• In dry pan, toast rice until all grains are evenly light brown. Stir frequently over medium heat.
• Remove rice from pan, grind coarsely in blade grinder. If you have one, you can use a granite mortar & pestle instead. Set aside ground rice.
• If using chili, toast in the dry pan. Grind finely in blade grinder. Set aside.

Larb Cooking Time:

• If using shallot, heat up oil in the same pan, and add shallots. Cook until sweated through and lightly browned. Add salt at the beginning to speed time to sweat.
• If using fresh thai chilis and dried arbol chilis, add now.
• Add ground pork. Cook until cooked through, but still juicy.
• Add fish sauce to taste. Turn heat off. Add chopped herbs and rice powder. You can add the rice powder a little at a time and taste as you go. The rice should soak up whatever residual meat juice / oil there is, and help provide a crunchy mouth feel.
• Remove larb from the pan, as both wok/cast iron are acid reactive. Juice limes into larb. Taste and add more fish sauce if needed.

• Eat as a lettuce wrap or on top of rice, as you wish.

• Maggie