Larb Moo Pork Larb Recipe – Thai Pork Salad

If you’ve been to northern Thailand or Laos, you’ve probably had larb moo, or meat salad.

What is larb

Meat salad might not sound very appealing, but it’s incredible. Think: juicy minced pork, fish sauce, lime juice, roasted rice, and fresh herbs. Paired with sticky rice balls, it’s absolutely addictive.

It’s unofficially the national dish of Laos and incredibly popular in the Isan region of Thailand. Larb is classic street food, fast, easy, fun, and most importantly, delicious.

How to make larb

1. Toast the rice. Use a small pan over medium low heat, shaking often, 2-3 mins. Then grind in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
2. Brown the pork. Using a skillet over medium high heat, brown the ground pork until it’s cooked to your desired doneness (we prefer it on the juicier side but some prefer it well cooked and dry).
3. Stir in the rice powder and chili flakes. Mix well to evenly coat the pork.
4. Add the remaining ingredients. Sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, shallots, green onions, cilantro, and mint.
5. Mix well and adjust to taste. Enjoy hot over rice!

How to serve

Larb is usually served with vegetables, lettuce to wrap, and sticky rice – so good! We had ours with both lettuce cups and sticky rice. Sticky rice recipe here!

Toasted Sticky Rice

The essential ingredient in larb is the toasted sticky rice. It gives everything a nice crunch and roasted toasty fragrance. If you don’t have sticky rice, you can easily toast up some uncooked Jasmine rice instead.

How to toast rice

Toasting rice is pretty easy: just pop uncooked rice into a dry pan and toast over medium low heat, while shaking occasionally. After a while, the rice takes on some color and starts to smell amazing – kind of like popcorn. Take your time while you’re toasting, be careful not to burn. Toasting the rice is probably the longest part of this recipe. After that you’re just 10 minutes away from porky, herby heaven.

The next time you’re looking for a quick and easy dinner that’s a bit different, I hope you try this larb. It hits all the right notes: sweet, spicy, salty, and sour.

Serve larb with:

• Thai Sticky Rice
• 15 Min Khao Soi Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup
• Thai Basil Chicken
• Thai Curry Stir Fry Udon
• Better than Take Out Peanut Free Pad Thai

Larb Moo (Thai Pork Salad)

Larb: the best kind of salad, with a mix of textures and flavors.

Serves 2

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp uncooked rice preferably sticky or jasmin
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 tbsp chili flakes
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 lime juiced, plus extra wedges to serve
• 1-2 shallots sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
• 3 green onions sliced
• 20 leaves fresh mint washed
• Thai sticky rice or lettuce, to serve

Instructions

• In a small pan, toast the rice over medium low heat, shaking the pan often, about 2-3 minutes.
  
• Once golden brown, let cool slightly and move to a mortar and pestle. Crush it into a fine powder. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
  
• In a skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. When hot, add the pork, and brown, breaking into pieces.
  
• Remove from the heat, and stir in the toasted rice powder and chili flakes, then add the sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice. Stir in the shallots, green onions, cilantro, and mint.
  
• Mix well and adjust to taste. Serve with hot Thai sticky rice and enjoy immediately!
  

Estimated Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Larb Moo (Thai Pork Salad)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 542 Calories from Fat 325

% Daily Value*

Fat 36.1g56%

Saturated Fat 10.8g68%

Cholesterol 146mg49%

Sodium 598mg26%

Potassium 81mg2%

Carbohydrates 13.5g5%

Fiber 0.2g1%

Sugar 7.3g8%

Protein 44g88%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.