Thai Pork Salad | Larb Moo | ลาบหมู

Make Toasted Rice Powder: Pour uncooked sticky rice into a pan so a single layer forms. Turn the heat on to medium-low and allow the rice to cook until it is golden brown, stirring or shaking the pan occasionally to prevent burning. Once the rice is uniformly brown, turn the heat off. Grind it into a coarse powder with a mortar and pestle, spice grinder, or coffee grinder.1

Prepare the Ingredients: Wash the herbs. If the mint and cilantro leaves are large, coarsely chop them. If they are small, feel free to leave them intact. Finely chop the sawtooth coriander, as the leaf edges can be quite sharp. Slice the shallots finely. If you are starting with a whole cut of pork, chop it coarsely with a sharp chef's knife.

Cook the Pork: Add 2 Tablespoons of water to a pot and heat it over medium high heat. Once the water is hot, add the ground pork. Cook it, stirring to break up any big clumps, until it is just done. Turn off the heat. There should still be a little liquid in the pot. Add the sliced shallots, stir to combine, then transfer to a serving dish.

Mix In the Other Ingredients: Add the fish sauce, lime juice, dried chili flakes, and toasted rice powder and stir to combine. Then add the chopped herbs and mix.2

Taste and Adjust: The most important step in this recipe is to do a taste test. Larb should be bold, bright, and flavorful. If more spice is needed, add more chili flakes. If it needs to be bolder, add more lime juice and fish sauce. If you add too much lime juice, it can be counterbalanced by adding more fish sauce.

Serve: Serve Larb Moo at room temperature with sticky rice and an assortment of raw vegetables and herbs. Enjoy immediately!