Chicken Larb
On hot days, when you’re hungry but don’t want to be eating too many carbs, I often gravitate towards a larb. While the addition of toasted rice certainly elevates the dish (mostly in a textural sense), I think it’s perfectly delicious without it. Then you also don’t have to toast the rice and grind it in a mortar and pestle. I’m not one to moan about kitchen tasks, but sometimes when the rest of the recipe is so easy, it’s tempting to skip a step and keep it super simple.
My tip for a good larb is choosing mince with the right amount of fat. Be careful to pick ‘chicken breast’ mince, or low fat pork mince. You really need something with at least 10% fat to help caramelise the meat and carry the flavour of the spices.
Like all Thai inspired food, you want to find the harmony between sour, sweet and spicy. Sans the toasted rice, you’ll still want some kind of textural crunch, so I sprinkle roasted and crushed peanuts on top, or fried onions from the pantry. Anything in that vein will work well.
I always pair the larb with Manners ‘Ubergew’ Gewurtraminer. It’s the perfect aromatic white wine to go alongside the spices in this dish. Despite being dry, there’s lovely fruit sweetness and spices — think rosewater, lychee, lime peel, and crushed ginger.
A quick disclaimer — I’m good friends with the winemaker, so perhaps a little biased, but I do honestly believe this is one of Australia’s best Gewurtzraniners. There’s only one barrel made from Mudgee fruit every year, so if you’re a fan, run rather than walk.
INGREDIENTS
• 500gm chicken or pork mince (at least 10% fat)
Cos lettuce or white cabbage leaves
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
1 lebanese cucumber, sliced
Small onion, finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely diced
Teaspoon of fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced
Stalk of lemongrass, white part only, finely chopped
1 fresh birdseye chilli, or dried Thai style red chilli
½ to 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
Dash of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
Fresh mint, coriander & spring onion
Juice of a lime, plus lime wedges to garnish
Roasted peanuts, finely chopped
METHOD
• Pre-heat the wok. Add vegetable oil and saute the onions. A minute later add the garlic and ginger.
• Add the mince, and use a wooden spoon to constantly ‘hit’ and break up the mince, ensuring it cooks evenly and doesn’t mould into large chunks.
• Add lemongrass, chilli, sugar, fish sauce, oyster sauce and stir to combine. Let the ingredients cook with the mince and infuse their flavours. Add the lime juice.
• Before serving, taste test. If too sour, add some salt or a touch of soy sauce. If it needs more spice, add more chilli.
• Serve on a plate with washed lettuce leaves, julienned carrot, cucumber slices and lime wedges. Garnish the larb with fresh herbs and fried onions. Serve with an aromatic white wine or beverage of your choice.
