Thai Larb Salad (2024)

FAQs

What is larb salad made of? ›

In essence, Larb is a refreshing Thai salad, usually made with ground meat (typically ground chicken, beef, lamb or pork), lots of fresh herbs (mint, Thai basil or cilantro), lemongrass, garlic, fresh chilies, red onions, lime juice, green onions.

The name derived from the full word of "จิ๊นลาบ", the word "จิ๊น" means animal meat while "ลาบ" means to chop into smaller pieces or mince in Lanna script (closely linked to Tai Tham). Laab was enjoyed in both raw or cooked forms depends on the likings.

Because laab is mostly meat, it is served with a lot of raw vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce leaves, cucumber and long beans. It is also always served with sticky rice.

🔊 Here's how to pronounce the dish as Thai + Lao people do: Larb, pronounced lab with a short A sound, as in l-a-a-p, with the tone falling during the vowel sound. The “b” in Larb actually sounds more like a “p,” with the final consonant unvoiced. And don't pronounce the R; it is NOT laRRRb!

The minced pork is wonderfully seasoned with fish sauce, chili flakes, lime juice, toasted sticky rice to give it some crunchy texture, and a wonderful assortment of fresh herbs to bring it all together. If you've eaten larb (ลาบ), I'm sure you love it, but if you've never tried it, you're in for a real treat!

Yum, meaning “mix,” is a hearty dish consisting mostly of meat, fish, or seafood together with many other typically Thai ingredients which may include peanuts, fruit, and herbs.

Beef larb tends to have spicy heat followed by salty and sour flavours. Bitter larb gets its signature taste from the animal's digestive juices. Back to the fish version, that distinctive tartness adds a brightness to the dish's texture,” explained Saehu.

Why? Authentic larb gai is made with padaek which is a fermented fish made into a thick fish sauce. Fermented fish is what makes larb smell. If you can't get over the smell, this is one of the ingredients that can be omitted from the recipe without any substitutions.

This Thai-inspired chicken larb (Larb gai or Laab Gai) is the perfect healthy weeknight meal. These ground chicken lettuce wraps are loaded with fresh herbs and savory flavors—they're the perfect healthy weeknight meal.

What is Thai street food? ›

Thai street food tends to feature dishes that can be quickly prepared, like stir fry rice and noodle dishes, hot soups, and creamy curries. It's common to find papaya, mango, and other tropical fruits as primary ingredients in snacks, drinks, and desserts.

Yes, laab and larb are the same thing. The same goes for laap and larp. That said, laab and laap provide much better approximations of the correct pronunciation for the word in Thai, as the "ar" sound in English resembles the Thai pronunciation the least. With that out of the way, we can turn to the recipe.

Meaning of larb in English

a meat salad often made with ground pork (= the meat from a pig) and common in southeast Asian cooking: I was served larb, a spicy minced pork salad, with mint and cilantro on radicchio lettuce leaves. In certain parts of Thailand the leaf is eaten with raw beef larb.

Larb is said to have originated in Laos but today, the dish is regional to Laos and Isaan (or Isan), the northeastern region of Thailand bordering Laos and Cambodia.

Northern Thai Style

Proteins are similar to the Lao version although a common addition is blood from the animal. This style is also eaten with a side of sticky rice. Larb with raw protein. Larb with cooked protein that is cooked with the blood of the animal.

A ground beef dish that originated from Northern Thailand. The larb is sweet from the natural taste of beef and the sugar, yet slightly tart from the lime and fish sauce. The cilantro, mint, ginger and green onion mix adds a freshness and clean taste to the dish.

Bound salad: ingredients such as meat, poultry, fish, egg, or starch such as potato, pasta, or rice and bound with mayo. Vegetable salad: cooked and/or raw vegetables (coleslaw); can be bound with mayo or mixed with vinegar/oil dressing.

Raw larb, also known as laab diip or koy nua, is a spicy raw beef salad from Thailand's Isan region. It combines minced beef, often with blood and beef bile, with toasted rice powder and spices, creating bold flavors unique to Lao and Isan cuisine.

Versions that feature sliced meat, as opposed to minced, are called nam tok. Unlike larb, nam toks usually use beef that has plenty of marbling on it; the fat makes the salad extra juicy, but not overwhelmingly so against the tartness of lime.