Thai chicken larb
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
Thai chicken larb
Making toasted rice powder, known as khao khua in Thailand, is one of the many ways to use that pack of sticky or jasmine rice in your pantry. It adds a nutty aroma and subtle crunch to salads and can even be used to thicken sauces. Larb gai, or chicken larb, is a fresh, spicy salad from northeastern Thailand, traditionally finished with a generous sprinkle of khao khua. Swap the chicken mince for pork, beef or turkey if you prefer, and adjust the number of bird’s eye chillies to taste
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
Spencer Lengsfield
Our Senior Food Producer Spencer was born in Los Angeles, so has an inherent love for all things Mexican, Japanese, and Korean but is also heavily influenced by her family’s Louisiana heritage. She loves spice, bright flavours, and fusion food, and she has a soft spot for a chocolate chip cookie.
Spencer Lengsfield
Our Senior Food Producer Spencer was born in Los Angeles, so has an inherent love for all things Mexican, Japanese, and Korean but is also heavily influenced by her family’s Louisiana heritage. She loves spice, bright flavours, and fusion food, and she has a soft spot for a chocolate chip cookie.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp uncooked sticky rice or jasmine rice
- 3 fresh lime leaves
- 1 x 500g pack chicken mince
- ½ tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp fish sauce*
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 2 bird’s eye chillies, thinly sliced
- 10g mint, leaves picked and torn
- 10g coriander, roughly chopped
- juice of 1 lime, plus wedges to serve
To serve
- 1 x 200g pack fine green beans
- 2 Little Gem lettuces, leaves separated
- ½ cucumber, halved lengthways and sliced
- cooked sticky or jasmine rice (optional)
Step by step
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Put the uncooked sticky or jasmine rice in a frying pan with the lime leaves. Toast over a medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until light golden-brown all over (about 5-7 minutes). Transfer to a mortar and use a pestle to grind both the rice and lime leaves to a coarse powder (or use a spice grinder). Set aside.
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Add the mince to the same frying pan, along with 3 tablespoons of water. Cook over a medium heat, breaking up the mince with a spatula, until cooked through but not browned. If the water evaporates too quickly, add a splash more. This should take around 5 minutes. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, then cook the green beans for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
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Drain off the excess water from the mince, then add the vegetable oil and increase the heat to high. Heat the oil for 1 minute, then stir in the fish sauce, sugar and some seasoning. Add the shallots, spring onions and chillies. Cook for a few minutes or until just softened and the mince is lightly browned. Finally, stir in most of the herbs, the lime juice and half of the toasted rice powder.
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Transfer the mince mixture to a serving platter with the blanched green beans, lettuce leaves, sliced cucumber and lime wedges. Sprinkle with the remaining toasted rice powder and remaining herbs. Let everyone wrap the chicken mince and vegetables into the lettuce leaves and enjoy with cooked rice, if liked.
*Check your fish sauce is gluten-free, if required.
