Name: Pork Larb Lettuce Wrap
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon long-grain rice; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar; 1/2 pound ground pork or beef; 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fish sauce; Salt; Freshly ground pepper; 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; 3 Thai chiles, very thinly sliced with seeds; 1 tablespoon water; Boston lettuce leaves, for serving; 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced; 1/4 cup torn Thai basil leaves; 1/4 cup torn mint leaves; 1/4 cup torn cilantro leaves

Total Time:

25 mins

Yield:

4 servings

Frequently asked questions

What does larb mean in Thai?

Larb, which means "chopped up" in Thai, is a minced meat salad made from virtually any protein — pork, chicken, beef, duck, or fish. For a vegetarian Thai larb recipe, substitute tofu, mushrooms, or a plant-based ground meat alternative. At once spicy, salty, and tangy, this traditional northern Thai salad is loaded with fragrant fresh herbs.

What do you serve with larb?

Larb is typically served warm with lettuce, an assortment of crisp veggies, and/or steamed rice, though it's also wonderful at room temperature or even cold. Here, we forgo the rice and enjoy the pork larb wrapped in Boston lettuce leaves along with a dipping sauce made from lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and chiles.

Note from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

The first step in this recipe is to toast and then grind a small amount of uncooked rice to make an ingredient called khao khua, or Thai toasted rice powder, which ultimately gets sprinkled on top of the cooked pork. This can be prepared ahead and stored in an airtight container as a pantry staple for a couple of months, should you want to make more than just a tablespoon at a time. Toasted rice powder serves as a thickener in some dishes, but here it's used to add nutty flavor. Don't be afraid to really get some color on the rice; feel free to cook it slow and low, shaking the pan often, for deep, even flavor. Take care not to grind the rice into too fine a powder — the finished product should be a bit coarse.

Suggested pairing

Choose a vibrant, citrusy Grüner Veltliner to accompany this dish.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon long-grain rice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
1/2 pound ground pork or beef
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fish sauce, divided
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 Thai chiles, very thinly sliced with seeds, divided
1 tablespoon water
Boston lettuce leaves, for serving
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup torn Thai basil leaves
1/4 cup torn mint leaves
1/4 cup torn cilantro leaves

Directions

In a medium skillet, toast the rice over moderate heat, shaking the pan often, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the rice to a plate and let cool completely. Put the toasted rice in a spice grinder and grind to a powder.
In the skillet, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderately low heat, stirring a few times, until golden brown, about 1 minute. Add 1 teaspoon of the sugar and cook for about 20 seconds. Add the ground pork and cook over moderately high heat, breaking up the meat finely, until no pink remains, about 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of the fish sauce and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the lime juice with the remaining 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar, two-thirds of the chiles, and 1 tablespoon of water. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter with the dipping sauce. Reheat the pork. Remove from the heat and stir in the onion, basil, mint, cilantro, and the remaining chile. Sprinkle the pork with the rice powder. Transfer to a bowl and place on or near the platter. Let everyone spoon the pork onto the lettuce leaves and season with the dipping sauce.