Here is my classic Thai larb gai chicken salad that contains spicy cooked chicken mince packed with fresh flavors such as lime juice, fish sauce, fresh chili, cilantro and mint.
Are you looking for a savory but easy to make ahead Asian meal for dinner on a hot summer’s day?
Then this Thai larb gai chicken salad is the perfect treat for you!
But wait a minute here.
Easy Thai Larb Gai Chicken Salad
What does Thai larb gai stand for in the first place?
Well the word larb (in Thai: ลาบ) also spelled laab, laap or lab, stands for a type meat salad, and gai means chicken (in Thai: ไก่).
I love to serve my Thai larb gai chicken salad with fresh butter lettuce and sliced cucumbers on a hot summer’s day for lunch or dinner even.
But what you can also do with this spicy chicken mince is to make appetizer lettuce wraps! Just tear the butter lettuce apart and fill the leaves with the chicken salad.
Larb Gai Appetizers
These individual green bites always look stunning and are drop dead cute. And they are a great make ahead appetizer finger food for your next summer party!
One thing I recommend in that case: prepare the Thai larb gai salad a couple of hours ahead.
Then assemble the wraps right before serving. Cut the fresh lettuce leaves from the stem and pick out the nicest leaves. Rinse them and then fill the lettuce leaves with the Thai larb gai mince.
The reason why I say this is that the lettuce goes limp and looses its crunch quite fast. And it is exactly that crunch we are really looking for for this Thai bite!
Thai Larb Gai Versions
You can replace the chicken mince for this Thai larb gai by pork mince if you want. Look at my version of larb moo below this chicken salad!
A beef mince version also exists.
And there is even a version of this Thai larb gai salad that is made with duck! That salad goes by the name of larb ped. I once tasted that dish in a Thai restaurant and I have to admit that the duck version is possibly my favorite larb salad recipe!
If only I had a meat grinder at home, then I would be able to make my own duck mince and make larb ped at home.
Veggie Version
And why not make it vegetarian and add a vegetarian quorn mince or some chopped up tofu?
If you want to go for the vegetarian Thai larb option, then replace the fish sauce by a light soy sauce and the chicken stock by vegetable stock.
Do you love this Thai larb gai salad and cooking Thai in general?
Then you should also check out my Thai green curry with chicken, green beans and peas!
Enjoy!
Easy Thai Larb Gai Chicken Salad Recipe
A classic Thai salad, excellent for the summer!
- 10,5 oz chicken mince (300 g)
- ½ cup chicken stock (120 ml)
- 3 tbsp onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- lime juice of 2 limes
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 red chili sliced finely
- 2 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar
- a handful fresh cilantro chopped
- a handful fresh mint chopped
- 1 small head butter lettuce
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Combine the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic powder and sugar. Stir these ingredients into a marinade and then put it in the fridge to chill until needed later.
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In the meantime pour the chicken stock in a wok and place it over high heat until boiling. Then add the chicken mince.
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Stir fry the chicken mince quickly and break up any large lumps. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes until it is cooked through. Keep stirring, don’t burn it.
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Once the chicken mince is cooked, take the wok off the heat. Scoop the mince into a large bowl and let it cool down fully in the fridge. Then drizzle with the lime juice marinade. Also add the chopped onion, the fresh cilantro and mint and the sliced red chili.
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Stir the chicken salad well and put it back in the fridge for 5 minutes. Then stir the salad again and check the seasoning. Add extra lime juice, fish sauce or fresh chili to taste if necessary.
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Put the chicken mince salad back in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then give the Thai larb gai salad one last stir. Divide the lettuce over plates and transfer the chicken mince salad on top of it. Serve cold.
Easy Thai Larb Moo Pork Salad with Green Beans
This is the pork mince version of the Thai larb gai salad above.
It is called Thai larb moo! When I was traveling around in Thailand a couple of years ago I learned to prepare this pork salad during a cooking class in Chang Mai.
There I learned the importance of adding sugar to Thai dishes. Well I was first taken aback by that thought. But I have to admit now that because of this I always keep palm sugar in my pantry for the times that I cook Thai recipes.
Palm Sugar
Sugar is a very important ingredient in Thai cuisine!
I get it, that might come as a surprise.
But don’t let that put you off, it really makes or breaks this Thai larb dish and numerous other classic dishes. Take a look at my homemade pad thai shrimp noodle dish and you will see how sugar is the most important flavor!
Raw Green Beans
You might be surprised to see the freshly chopped green beans in this salad.
Mind you, raw green beans are very often added to Thai salads! Why then? Because raw green beans add a lot of crunch and freshness to a dish.
Here in this case larb (in Thai: ลาบ) stands for a type meat salad, and moo means pork (in Thai: หมู).
Pork Mince
So here is my classic Thai larb moo pork salad or a spicy cooked pork mince packed with fresh flavors such as lime juice, fish sauce, hot chili sauce and cilantro… The perfect lunch or dinner on a hot summer’s day!
That lime juice is such a flavor bomb.
Dig in.
And enjoy!
Easy Thai Larb Moo Pork Salad Recipe
Thai larb moo: spicy cooked pork mince!
- 10,5 oz ground pork (300 g)
- ½ cup chicken stock (120 ml)
- 3 tbsp onion finely chopped
- 6 green beans chopped
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- juice of 2 fresh limes
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp hot chili sauce
- 2 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar
- a handful fresh cilantro chopped
- a handful fresh mint chopped
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1) In a small cup combine the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic powder, the sugar and the chili sauce. Stir into a marinade and then put it in the fridge to chill until needed later.
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2) In the meantime pour the chicken stock in a wok and place it over high heat until boiling. Then add the pork mince.
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3) Stir fry the pork mince quickly and break up any large lumps. Cook it for about 4 to 5 minutes until it is browned a little. Keep stirring and don’t let the chicken mince burn. Once cooked, take the wok off the heat. Scoop the mince into a large bowl and let it cool down fully in the fridge.
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4) Then drizzle with the lime juice marinade. Also add the chopped onion, chopped green beans and the fresh cilantro and mint.
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5) Stir the pork salad well and put it back in the fridge for 5 minutes. Then stir the salad again and check the seasoning. Add extra lime juice, fish sauce or hot chili sauce to taste if necessary. Put the pork mince salad back in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then give the salad one last stir. Serve cold.
Larb Origin
So now you know how to prepare a classic Thai larb gai and larb moo salad at home then…
Larb is originally a Laotian meat salad. Larb is in fact a national dish from the country of Laos. But as you may have figured out by now, it is also a very popular dish in Thailand of course. Mainly in the Isan area, a northeastern region in Thailand where the majority of the population is of Laotian decent.
Also the well known Hmong people, an ethnic minority group in Laos who migrated into the country around the nineteenth century, have adopted this classic Laotian salad along with many other elements of Laotian cuisine.
Traveling
Like I already mentioned above, when I was traveling around in Thailand a couple of years ago I came across this dish basically everywhere I went. This classic meat salad is a staple of Thai cuisine nowadays. And with reason! All the flavors and spices and textures that are combined in this dish are very popular in Thai food.
All I can say is: try it out! I am sure that you will love this salad.
So here is a classic Thai larb gai chicken salad: spicy cooked chicken mince packed with fresh flavors such as lime juice, fish sauce, fresh chili and cilantro.
A flavor bomb!
Do try it out.