Larb Kai

Ingredients:

Chicken meat, ground	300 grams
Chicken liver	100 grams
Spring onion plants, chopped	2 each
Shallots, finely sliced	4 tablespoons
Menta leaves	½ cup
Coriander plants	2 each
Rice, toasted and ground	2 tablespoons
Dried chilies, toasted and ground	1 tablespoon
Lime juice	5-6 tablespoons
Fish sauce	2 tablespoons
Fresh vegetables i.e. cabbage, lettuce and yard long beans

Directions:

• Bring water to boil, add a lemon grass plant which was cut into short pieces and crushed. When the water comes to boil again, add chicken liver, boil until well-cooked, remove from the heat, and cut the liver into small pieces.
• Add 4 tablespoons of lime juice to the pound chicken meat. Squeeze water off the chicken meat. Pour the water from the chicken into a pot, bring to boil. Add the ground chicken meat and stir until the meat is well-done. Spoon the meat onto a plate.
• Mix the ground chicken, liver, fried ground dried chili, finely sliced shallots, spring onion and coriander, correct seasoning with fish sauce for saltiness and lime juice for sourness. Add the toasted rice. Mix all together. Top with menta leaves.

Correct Characteristics of Larb:

• Ground chicken meat must be tender and not stick to each other like balls. Larb must be dry and fragrant from ground dried chilies.
• The texture of Larb must be dry.

Cooking Tips:

• Chicken meat or beef must be finely ground and squeezed in lime juice before being toasted on a low heat so it will be tender and not stick like balls.
• Dried chilies must be toasted first for good aroma.
• Add toasted rice last to ensure the dry texture of Larb.

Eating Culture:

Larb is usually eaten as the first course or with the main meal with rice. For fusion eating, it can be used as sandwich spread or put on top of canapes or pizzas.

How to Serve:

Serve with fresh vegetables such as cabbage, yard long beans and lettuce. Serve either as the first course or with the main meal for eating with rice, especially sticky rice according to to Thai northeastern style.

Recipe Variations:

Larb as Sandwich Spread
Larb on Canapes
Larb on Pizza

Name Derivative :

Larb is named according to its preparation method – finely chopping. All kinds of meat for preparing Larb must be finely chopped before mixing with other ingredients.

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Larb:

Hua Hom (Shallots)

Use : Shallots are ingredients of all kinds of curry pastes, hot sauces and salads.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, increases appetite, and regulates menstruation.

Saranae (Mentha)

Use : as ingredient in Larb, Yam, and northeastern-style Kaeng Om, etc.
Medicinal properties : aids digestion, increases urine production, relieves stress in ulcer and colon.

Nam Manao (Lime Juice)

Use : as ingredient in Yam, Tom Yam and Kaeng Som and also as beverage.
Medicinal properties : Relieves coughs, sore throat, swollen gum, tooth bleeding, constipation, dizziness, the lack of Vitamin C, and phlegm.

Onion

Use : as ingredient in Yam, Khao Phat and other Thai dishes.
Medicinal properties : Used as an antiseptic, also used against coughs.

Prik Kee Noo (Fresh hot Chili Peppers)

Use : Hot chili peppers give the uniquely hot taste and aroma of Thai cooking. It is the star ingredient of most dishes. Almost every dish will taste better with a small addition of these tiny hot chili peppers. Tom Yam and Tom Kha cannot be made without them.
Medicinal properties : Relieves diarrhea, stimulates digestion and the heat, increases blood flow to taste buds and thus increases appetite, relieves infection, dissolves blood clod, and prevents intestinal cancer.

Bai Pak Shee (Coriander Leaves)

Use : Tom Yam, Tomkha, soups and salads require coriander leaves as flavorful and colorful garnish.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, prevents constipation, cures scurry, pellagra and beriberi, increases appetite, and relieves cold symptoms.