Method
- Toast the sticky rice in a dry pan over medium-low heat, shaking constantly, for eight to ten minutes until deep gold-brown and intensely fragrant. Cool, then grind in a mortar to a coarse powder. This is khao khua — the soul of larb.
- Cook the pork in a wide pan over medium heat with two tablespoons of water — no oil. Break it apart constantly so it cooks in fine crumbles, not lumps. Pull off the heat the moment it loses pinkness, about four minutes.
- Tip the still-warm pork into a mixing bowl. Add lime juice, fish sauce, and chili powder while it's hot — the heat coaxes the flavours in.
- Add the toasted rice powder, shallots, and spring onion. Toss to combine — the rice powder should thicken the dressing and cling to the meat.
- Just before serving, fold in the mint, cilantro and sawtooth coriander. Don't add herbs early or they'll wilt and turn black.
- Mound on a plate. Serve with a basket of sticky rice, raw cabbage wedges, raw long beans and cucumber — diners scoop larb with sticky rice or cabbage leaves and eat by hand.
Common questions
Can Larb Moo be made ahead?
Larb Moo is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 10 minutes.
How spicy is Larb Moo?
As written this recipe is medium-to-hot — typical of authentic Thailand cooking. To temper the heat, halve the chili or remove the seeds; to push it further, add more bird's-eye chili at the finishing stage. The spice can be adjusted at any point during cooking.
Is Larb Moo vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe is naturally gluten-free as written.
How hard is Larb Moo to make at home?
Larb Moo is approachable for a home cook with basic stove skills — total time about 25 minutes, no special technique required.
Can Larb Moo be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 4 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Larb is the unofficial national dish of Isan (and of Laos, where it shares a near-identical recipe — larb has no border). Toasted rice powder is non-negotiable; without it the dish is just minced pork with herbs. The pork can be raw (larb dip) for those who want the most authentic version, but cooked is the safe and typical home preparation. A Lao-Isan elder will judge a young cook by their khao khua: too pale and it tastes flat, too dark and it tastes acrid.
