Laarb Moo (Thai Pork Salad)

Laarb Moo
(Thai Pork Salad)


Larb Moo served in an authentic way in Koh Samui, Thailand

For anyone who’s visited Thailand, this salad must be one of the foods that really sticks in one’s mind, for it appears in virtually every restaurant menu regardless of the restaurant’s class. This is definitely one of my favourite south-east Asian dishes of all time. It is so easy to make and yet so incredibly tasty, healthy and nutritious that getting all the ingredients together is definitely worth it. The base for this recipe came from a head chef in Thailand, who kindly gave it to me when I visited Thailand in December 2008, but since then I’ve adjusted the recipe to make it simpler and tastier and have included elements from several other very good Laarb Moo recipes to make it even better. I defy anyone to try it and not fall in love with it straight away. It is usually served as a starter in Thailand, but it can be served as a main meal in itself, particularly for lunch.

Serves 4

450-500g good quality pork mince
1 medium head cabbage (Chinese leaf/Tientsin cabbage is good), shredded or 2 large white onions, finely sliced
100ml chicken stock or water
3-4 tablespoons uncooked jasmine rice
5-6 shallots
3 tablespoons mild chilli powder
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 large kaffir lime leaves (for best results use fresh or frozen leaves and avoid dried)
1 fat stalk lemongrass
1 small bunch fresh mint leaves
1 mild red chilli, plus an extra one cut into strips for garnish (optional)

1) Halve then finely slice the shallots crosswise and set aside. Finely chop the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and chilli (if using) and set aside. Coarsely chop the mint and set aside separately.

2) Heat a saucepan over medium heat then add all the uncooked jasmine rice. Roast until it turns a yellow-golden brown colour. Immediately tip into a pestle and mortar and grind into a coarse powder. Make sure you do not grind it too fine or it will make the final dish too gloopy.

3) Heat a saucepan over a high heat, add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Add the pork, reduce the heat to medium and stir to break it up. Cook until it is completely cooked through and separated. Drain off any excess liquid once it is cooked through.

4) While the pork is still piping hot, immediately tip in the shallots and stir well to incorporate. Then stir in all the finely chopped ingredients as well as the fish sauce, lime juice and the rice and chilli powders, then immediately stir in the mint leaves.

5) Serve immediately with the shredded cabbage and/or onions.

• Variation: The same recipe can be made with chicken, beef, duck or even fish/prawn mince.
• Tip: All the ingredients are intended for taste, so feel free to adjust the quantities to your own liking.
• Tip: If you end up adding too much lime juice and/or fish sauce, stir in some palm or light brown sugar to balance and saltiness and sourness.