Slow Carb Larb Gai Food

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!)

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.

THAI LARB RECIPE (LARB MOO ลาบหมู)

Steps:

• First step is to make the toasted rice (khao kua ข้าวคั่ว).
• Heat a frying pan on low heat, toss in the uncooked Thai sticky rice (no oil). Stir continuously, kind of like you're roasting peanuts or coffee. Toast the rice until it turns from white to golden yellow, almost to the point where it looks like brown wheat. It will also be very fragrant and smell almost like popcorn. It took me about 15 minutes or so.
• Once the rice is finished toasting, and has cooled off a bit, put it into your stone mortar and pestle. Pound the rice until it turns into a coarse powder (a blender or food processor will also work fine). Put your toasted sticky rice powder in a bowl aside.
• Add 300 grams of minced pork to a small sized saucepan with a handle. Fry the pork, breaking it into small minced pieces, until it's fully cooked all the way through. For best flavor, leave all the oils that come out (but if you want to be healthier, you can also drain the pork oil, and add in a splash of water instead). Take the pork off the heat.
• Leaving the pork in the same pot, add 1 heaping tablespoon of the toasted rice powder into the pork. Also toss in ½ - 1 tablespoon of chili flakes.
• Add a pinch of sugar, ½ tablespoon of fish sauce, and squeeze in the juice from 1 - 2 limes (I used about 1 ½ full limes, but I like it quite sour).
• Give the pork and the seasoning a quick stir.
• Peel and slice the shallots, finely mince about 5 green onions and a few culantro leaves (if you have them), and just pluck about 20 or so mint leaves off the stem. Throw everything into the saucepan with the pork.
• Give the larb moo a good mix, making sure all the spices and dressing coats the pork.
• Taste test. See if it needs more fish sauce for saltiness, lime juice, or chili flakes. Get it the way you want it.
• Dish it out onto a plate and garnish with more mint leaves, Thai sweet basil, and culantro.

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.

SLOW-CARB LARB GAI

Steps:

• Cook ground chicken in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly to break it into small crumbles, about 5 minutes. Stir in peanuts, red pepper flakes, ginger, and salt. Add lime juice and fish sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and chicken appears dry, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer chicken mixture to a large bowl. Fold in mint, basil, and cilantro. Spoon mixture into individual butter lettuce leaves and top with cucumber.

LARB GAI - SPICY THAI CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Heat nonstick skillet over medium heat, no oil necessary.
• Add chicken, stir until cooked through.
• Remove from heat, drain excess liquid.
• Add fish sauce and lime juice.
• Toss all together with cilantro, onion, shallots, mint, cayenne, rice powder, and ground chile/garlic paste.
• Adjust seasoning to taste.
• Serve immediately over lettuce leaves or thinly sliced cabbage.
• Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

SLOW-CARB LARB GAI

Steps:

• Cook ground chicken in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly to break it into small crumbles, about 5 minutes. Stir in peanuts, red pepper flakes, ginger, and salt. Add lime juice and fish sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and chicken appears dry, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer chicken mixture to a large bowl. Fold in mint, basil, and cilantro. Spoon mixture into individual butter lettuce leaves and top with cucumber.