Laab holds a number of faux pas in food circles and its interpretation. Phonetically delete the 'r' from its pronunciation. Don't mix cooked sticky rice in with the salad. Laab isn't just the Thai version of those chicken lettuce wraps you get at PF Chang's.
SheSimmers blog has a good article on the transliteration of Thai into English phonetics that is a good read, and an explanation of why you see 19 different spellings for this dish. LINK
SheSimmers blog has a good article on the transliteration of Thai into English phonetics that is a good read, and an explanation of why you see 19 different spellings for this dish. LINK
Contemporary online blogs and recipe developers often apply the commonly Westernized tradition of caramelization and the Maillard reaction to give meat flavor through browning, but that is honestly not traditional, nor is it necessary for laab moo. The predominant flavors are proudly pungent from shallots, acidic from lime and makrut lime leaves, and toasty from the khao khua. The deep caramelization that you'd find in other ground pork applications would muddle with both the soft desired texture and other flavors present in the dish. In fact, few elements of this dish are "cooked" in the direct sense that you might expect for a dish that is meat-forward - the shallots and aromatics are essentially wilted under residual heat from the ground pork after cooking. Something I learned from Pailin's Kitchen (YouTube) is that the method of cooking something in liquid as opposed to browning with oil, is called "ruan", and that's what we're doing here - this cooking method essentially takes any of the rendered fat out of the ground pork and re-emulsifies it into the meat mixture with the help of the liquid in the pot/pan.
Laab is one of those quintessential summer dishes because it is so crisp and refreshing, and doesn't require much use of your stove. The interplay of textures at work here is something immense and should not be overlooked: juicy meat that hasn't had its moisture completely driven off, crispy bits of rendered chicken/pork lardon, the snap of lightly wilted shallots, the intense heat of roasted Thai chili powder, all bound together by the sticky khao khua rice powder. There also won't be much measuring in this recipe: it's all about feel - every toasted rice powder will be different, the interplay of lime and fish sauce will be different based on what brand you buy, how fatty the pork winds up being, etc. Taste as you go, they're chef's snacks and all. Shopping List (Laab Moo):
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Prep (Sticky Rice):
In enough room temperature water to cover by twice the volume, soak ~2/3 c. glutinous rice for 8 hous, or until slightly swelled. This step can be short-cutted by using hot (>140 deg F) water for 2 hours. Drain the rice and lay in a parcel of wet cheesecloth, spreading the rice into an even disc. Place the parcel into your bamboo steamer and steam over moderate steam for 15-18 minutes, and then flip the parcel over to steam evenly on both sides for another 15 minutes. Sticky rice will hold well at temperature if left in the steamer basket wrapped in cheesecloth for a while, meaning you can make the sticky rice decently well in advance.
Prep (Khao Khua):
In the small dry skillet over medium-low heat, toast the 2-3 Tbsp glutinous rice and an extra optional makrut lime leaf until deeply golden brown. You'll want to stir this constantly to ensure that it doesn't burn. If using a fresh makrut lime leaf, if it looks a little singed, pull it out, but at the end, it should be crackly and well dried out from the heat in the pan. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and grind to a coarse powder (think french press coffee ground consistency, not espresso). Set this aside - you'll want to use this as soon as possible, so don't store the leftovers in your cupboard, as that toasted, volatile flavor will dissipate over time.
Prep (Laab Moo):
Back in that same dry skillet, lightly toast the white peppercorns and dried makrut lime leaves (if you can't find white pepper or the lime leaves, just skip this step - but I like the extra peppery bite that goes well with the bite of the shallots). Remember that the name of this game is packing as much flavor into the meat salad on its own, it should almost be *too* strong to eat on its own. Grind these and set aside.
Again, in that same dry skillet, take your Thai chili flakes and toast over low heat until just fragrant, and then grind into a finer powder if they are a coarse grind. The smoky heat from the toasted chilies is also a signature flavor in the dish that shouldn't go understated - I'm nailing this home again, the dish is strongly spiced too, it should be hot.
Now, in that small skillet, add the neutral oil and over medium-low heat, render out the fat in the chicken skin to make crispy skin lardons. If you have some pan weights like a bacon press, use those here to keep good contact with the pan, as they will curl up. If that happens too bad, you'll end up with some soggy bits, which are still edible, just maybe not as tasty from a texture perspective. Roughly chop these or break them with your hands and set aside.
Grind your pork to a coarse grind. You're not looking for a paste-consistency here, you want sizeable chunks that will shrink and then re-absorb fish sauce, lime, and the rice powder.
Slice the shallots, stem your aromatic herbs.
Prep your garnishes of choice (the cucumber, tomato, greens, lime wedges).
The Business:
In the larger, straight-walled pan or sauce pot, over medium heat, toss the ground pork with a few teaspoons of fish sauce and about 2 Tbsp of water. There is no oil in this step, and it seems counter-intuitive, but don't worry, we're adding enough liquids to "de-glaze" any bits that actually get stuck to the pan. Again, you're not looking for deep caramelization here. Once the ground pork is no longer pink, you can pretty much turn off the heat from here on out.
Toss in the shallots first and let the residual heat wilt those until they lose their pink-ish, purple-ish color. You did cut those thin enough to wilt, right? Toss in the prik bon chili flakes, the white pepper powder, and about half of your khao khua toasted rice powder. You don't want to overdo the rice powder as this is your thickening agent, and you don't want this claggy, you want it sticky, yet juicy. Add lime juice and more fish sauce. Taste. Adjust and balance the acid as needed with more fish sauce. Adjust and balance the salt with more lime.
Stir in all of your torn herbs, and the chopped up bits of chicken skin lardon. Serve immediately.
Enjoy - devour with your hands and using the greens and vegetable garnishes as vehicles for the laab!
In enough room temperature water to cover by twice the volume, soak ~2/3 c. glutinous rice for 8 hous, or until slightly swelled. This step can be short-cutted by using hot (>140 deg F) water for 2 hours. Drain the rice and lay in a parcel of wet cheesecloth, spreading the rice into an even disc. Place the parcel into your bamboo steamer and steam over moderate steam for 15-18 minutes, and then flip the parcel over to steam evenly on both sides for another 15 minutes. Sticky rice will hold well at temperature if left in the steamer basket wrapped in cheesecloth for a while, meaning you can make the sticky rice decently well in advance.
Prep (Khao Khua):
In the small dry skillet over medium-low heat, toast the 2-3 Tbsp glutinous rice and an extra optional makrut lime leaf until deeply golden brown. You'll want to stir this constantly to ensure that it doesn't burn. If using a fresh makrut lime leaf, if it looks a little singed, pull it out, but at the end, it should be crackly and well dried out from the heat in the pan. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and grind to a coarse powder (think french press coffee ground consistency, not espresso). Set this aside - you'll want to use this as soon as possible, so don't store the leftovers in your cupboard, as that toasted, volatile flavor will dissipate over time.
Prep (Laab Moo):
Back in that same dry skillet, lightly toast the white peppercorns and dried makrut lime leaves (if you can't find white pepper or the lime leaves, just skip this step - but I like the extra peppery bite that goes well with the bite of the shallots). Remember that the name of this game is packing as much flavor into the meat salad on its own, it should almost be *too* strong to eat on its own. Grind these and set aside.
Again, in that same dry skillet, take your Thai chili flakes and toast over low heat until just fragrant, and then grind into a finer powder if they are a coarse grind. The smoky heat from the toasted chilies is also a signature flavor in the dish that shouldn't go understated - I'm nailing this home again, the dish is strongly spiced too, it should be hot.
Now, in that small skillet, add the neutral oil and over medium-low heat, render out the fat in the chicken skin to make crispy skin lardons. If you have some pan weights like a bacon press, use those here to keep good contact with the pan, as they will curl up. If that happens too bad, you'll end up with some soggy bits, which are still edible, just maybe not as tasty from a texture perspective. Roughly chop these or break them with your hands and set aside.
Grind your pork to a coarse grind. You're not looking for a paste-consistency here, you want sizeable chunks that will shrink and then re-absorb fish sauce, lime, and the rice powder.
Slice the shallots, stem your aromatic herbs.
Prep your garnishes of choice (the cucumber, tomato, greens, lime wedges).
The Business:
In the larger, straight-walled pan or sauce pot, over medium heat, toss the ground pork with a few teaspoons of fish sauce and about 2 Tbsp of water. There is no oil in this step, and it seems counter-intuitive, but don't worry, we're adding enough liquids to "de-glaze" any bits that actually get stuck to the pan. Again, you're not looking for deep caramelization here. Once the ground pork is no longer pink, you can pretty much turn off the heat from here on out.
Toss in the shallots first and let the residual heat wilt those until they lose their pink-ish, purple-ish color. You did cut those thin enough to wilt, right? Toss in the prik bon chili flakes, the white pepper powder, and about half of your khao khua toasted rice powder. You don't want to overdo the rice powder as this is your thickening agent, and you don't want this claggy, you want it sticky, yet juicy. Add lime juice and more fish sauce. Taste. Adjust and balance the acid as needed with more fish sauce. Adjust and balance the salt with more lime.
Stir in all of your torn herbs, and the chopped up bits of chicken skin lardon. Serve immediately.
Enjoy - devour with your hands and using the greens and vegetable garnishes as vehicles for the laab!