Laotian Larb (ລາບ) — Bright Minced Chicken Herb Salad

• 30 guncooked glutinous rice
• 500 gground chicken thigh meat
• 60 mlwater
• 20 mlLao fermented fish sauce (padaek, strained if very chunky)
• 25 mlfish sauce
• 45 mlfresh lime juice
• 4 ggranulated sugar
• 2 tspdried Thai chile flakes
• 80 gshallots (thinly sliced)
• 3scallions (thinly sliced)
• 15 gfresh cilantro (roughly chopped)
• 20 gfresh mint leaves
• 10 gfresh sawtooth coriander (thinly sliced; optional but traditional)
• 8 leafgreen cabbage
• 2Persian cucumbers (cut into spears)
• 600 gsteamed sticky rice

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the uncooked glutinous rice in a dry skillet over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until the grains turn deep golden and smell nutty. Let the rice cool for 5 minutes, then grind it in a spice grinder or mortar to a coarse powder with a sandy texture, not a fine flour.

2. 2

   Put the ground chicken and water in a wide skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until the chicken is just cooked through and still juicy.

3. 3

   Remove the pan from the heat while there is still a small amount of cooking liquid in the skillet. This liquid is important because it carries the seasoning and helps the toasted rice powder cling to the meat.

4. 4

   Add the Lao fermented fish sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and dried chile flakes to the warm chicken. Stir thoroughly for 30 seconds so the seasonings dissolve into the juices and coat the meat evenly.

5. 5

   Sprinkle in 18 g of the toasted rice powder and mix well, reserving the rest for final adjustment. The larb should look lightly bound and aromatic, with visible grains of toasted rice rather than a paste-like coating.

6. 6

   Fold in the shallots, scallions, cilantro, mint, and sawtooth coriander while the chicken is warm but no longer hot. Mixing off the heat keeps the herbs fresh and fragrant instead of turning them dark and wilted.

7. 7

   Taste the larb and adjust only with measured additions if needed: add up to 5 ml more lime juice for brightness, 5 ml more fish sauce for salinity, or 0.5 tsp more chile flakes for heat. Rest the salad for 3 minutes so the toasted rice powder hydrates and the flavors settle.

8. 8

   Transfer the larb to a shallow serving plate and sprinkle with the remaining toasted rice powder if you want a stronger roasted aroma. Serve immediately with cabbage leaves, cucumber spears, and warm sticky rice for scooping.