Larb Gai Recipes

EASY AUTHENTIC CHICKEN LARB GAI RECIPE

Steps:

• Get the scallions, cilantro, spearmint, chilis, lemon grass, and chilis ready. Ensure that you have the scallions, cilantro, spearmint, and garlic minced. The Thai chilis need to be chopped and ready. On medium high heat, add the cooking oil. Once the oil is heated, add in the ground chicken. Next, add in the padaek (fermented fish sauce). Keep on cooking the meat. Ensure that you are chopping the meat in the pan to separate the ground chicken as much as possible. Once the ground chicken is cooked through, take it off of the heat and try to continue to break up the ground chicken with a fork or other cooking utensil. With the chicken still warm, add in the lime juice. in the skillet. Next, and most importantly, add in the khao khua (toasted rice powder). After that, add in the dried, crushed chilli. Finally, mix in the chicken skin and the rest of the herbs.

THAI LETTUCE WRAPS (LARB GAI, LAAB GAI)

Steps:

• Sauce: Place water and cornflour OR rice powder into a small bowl. Mix into a slurry. Add lime juice, fish sauce and sugar and mix to combine. Set aside.
• Heat peanut oil in a wok (or heavy based fry pan) over medium high heat. Add ginger, garlic, lemongrass and chilli and sauté for 45 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant. Do not let the garlic burn, it will taste bitter.
• Add the chicken and turn up the heat to high. Cook the chicken, breaking up the mince into small pieces.
• Once the chicken turns white and is almost cooked through (about 3 to 4 minutes), add Sauce. Cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute to coat the chicken and for the sauce to thicken.
• Remove wok from heat. Stir through onion, coriander/cilantro and mint.
• Spoon filling into a bowl, and serve with lettuce, peanuts, extra herbs and lime wedges on the side - leave everyone to make their own. Spoon filling into lettuce cups and garnish with what you want!
• Sauce option: Take it over the top by serving with Thai Peanut Satay Sauce, as pictured in the first photo in post! It's extra amazing (though not traditional!)

THAI LARB GAI (CHICKEN WITH LIME, CHILI AND FRESH HERBS)

Steps:

• To make roasted rice powder, heat a wok or skillet over high heat. Add raw rice and cook, stirring often, until rice is toasted and dark brown, but not black, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside to cool. Grind to a coarse powder in a mortar, blender or coffee grinder; set aside.
• To cook chicken, heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. When very hot, add 2 tablespoons water, then add chicken, stirring constantly to break up any lumps. Cook just until cooked through, about two minutes, then transfer to mixing bowl. While chicken is just warm, add remaining ingredients (except for garnishes) and roasted rice powder. Mix gently but thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings. Mixture should be tangy, salty and lightly spicy.
• Spoon onto serving plate and surround with mint, lettuce and cucumber. Serve with rice. If serving with sticky rice, pinch some off, mold into a small ball and dip into larb, scooping up a little of each ingredient. Or scoop larb into lettuce leaves.

LARB GAI

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook chicken over medium heat until no longer pink, 8-10 minutes, breaking it into crumbles; drain. In the same skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots and chiles; cook and stir until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the cooked chicken, lime juice, fish sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar and Sriracha. Cook and stir until heated through. Stir in cilantro and mint. Serve with rice and, if desired, lettuce leaves.

LARB GAI: THAI CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Combine all salad dressing ingredients together in a cup or bowl. Stir to dissolve sugar. Set aside.
• Combine all the cold salad ingredients in a large salad bowl (arugula/salad greens, mint, green onions, basil, red pepper, and cucumber).
• If using rice, see instructions below. Set aside.
• Place 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, chicken, and lime leaf (if using).
• As you stir-fry, add the fish sauce. Also, add a little water if the pan becomes dry. Stir-fry until chicken is cooked-about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Transfer the hot chicken to the salad bowl with prepared salad ingredients. Pour over the dressing and toss well.
• Finally, add the chopped nuts or ground toasted rice.
• Taste test the salad, adding more fish sauce if you prefer it saltier or more flavorful. Add more dried crushed chile if you prefer it spicier. If too bitter, add a little more sugar.
• Garnish with more mint or basil leaves or with some edible flowers.
• Serve immediately while the chicken is still warm.
• Place uncooked rice in a dry wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. As rice heats up, shake the pan back and forth or stir with a spoon. After 6 to 8 minutes, the rice will turn a light golden brown and begin to pop (like popcorn).
• When it begins to pop, transfer to a coffee grinder or pestle and mortar. Grind down to a coarse powder. (A coffee grinder works well for this. Simply wipe out with a clean, dry cloth, then pour in your rice and grind. For pestle and mortar, use a firm, circular grinding motion.)
• Use in your recipe and enjoy.

LARB GAI - THAI CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Grill or broil the chicken until just cooked through. Allow to cool and remove skin and bones. Chop the meat very finely. Use only the tender white portion of the lemon grass and cut into thin slices. Slice out the mid-ribs from the lime leaves and shred the leaf very finely.
• Put the chopped chicken meat in a bowl and mix with the chopped lemon grass, shredded lime leaf, roasted rice powder, cayenne, scallions, mint, red onion and cilantro. Combine fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar. Pour over the chicken mixture and combine well.
• Serve with cabbage leaves and garnished with extra mint. To eat, pick up a cabbage leaf and "pinch" or roll up some chicken salad in it.

LAAB GAI (TURKEY LAAB)

Steps:

• Stir the tamarind paste into the ground turkey in a large bowl and let stand for 15 minutes.
• Heat a medium pan to high heat and add the oil. When you see the first wisps of white smoke, saute the garlic and shallot until translucent, about 1 minute. Fold the turkey into the pan and stir-fry until the turkey is just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Reduce to low heat then stir in the sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, and chile powder and mix well. Adjust your flavors as necessary to your taste.
• Fold in the mint, onion, roasted rice powder and scallions until well combined. Serve with carrot sticks, long beans, lettuce and cabbage. Garnish the laab with more scallions, red onion and rice powder.

LARB GAI NIKKI-STYLE

Steps:

• Whisk lemon juice, lime juice, fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, cayenne, and lemon zest together in a bowl until dressing is smooth.
• Spread ground turkey in a thin layer in a arge skillet; add garlic. Pour enough water into the skillet to cover the turkey; bring to a boil. Cook and stir turkey mixture, breaking the meat apart with a fork, until turkey is browned and crumbly, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain liquid and transfer turkey to a large glass bowl.
• Mix red onion, carrot, chestnuts, Thai chile peppers, green onions, mint, basil, and cilantro into turkey until well combined. Refrigerate mixture until chilled, about 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle rice powder and Thai chile flakes over turkey mixture and mix well.