Other world recipe

Lao Chicken Larb (Laap Gai)

Name: Lao Chicken Larb (Laap Gai)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Other world cuisines
Ingredients: 600 g ground chicken; 30 g glutinous rice; 30 ml neutral oil; 45 ml fish sauce; 60 ml fresh lime juice; 5 g chilli flakes; 120 g red onion, thinly sliced; 30 g spring onion, sliced; 30 g fresh mint leaves; 25 g cilantro leaves and tender stems; 150 g lettuce leaves and cucumber, to serve

Warm minced chicken is tossed with toasted rice powder, lime, fish sauce, mint and crisp fresh herbs.

Laos; cooked chicken laap, served warm with herbs, sticky rice and fresh vegetables

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 40 min
Servings: 4

Lao chicken larb with toasted rice powder, mint, cilantro, lettuce and sticky rice — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by Sodanie Chea from Norwalk, Ca, United StatesSource page · Original file · CC BY 2.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

600 g
ground chicken
30 g
glutinous rice
30 ml
neutral oil
45 ml
fish sauce
60 ml
fresh lime juice
5 g
chilli flakes
120 g
red onion, thinly sliced
30 g
spring onion, sliced
30 g
fresh mint leaves
25 g
cilantro leaves and tender stems
150 g
lettuce leaves and cucumber, to serve

Method

01
Toast the rice
Toast the dry glutinous rice in a small pan over medium heat, shaking often until golden and nutty. Cool, then grind to a coarse powder.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Cook the chicken
Heat the oil in a wide pan. Add the chicken and cook, breaking it into small crumbles, until no pink remains and the thickest part reaches 74°C.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Season while warm
Remove the pan from direct heat. Stir in fish sauce, lime juice, chilli flakes and toasted rice powder until the chicken is lightly bound and aromatic.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Fold in the herbs
Add the red onion, spring onion, mint and cilantro. Toss just until the leaves wilt slightly but remain fresh and green.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Balance and plate
Taste and adjust with more lime for brightness or fish sauce for salt. Pile the larb with lettuce, cucumber and sticky rice for scooping.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Prepare and portion every topping before heating the pan; once the wok is hot, the cooking moves quickly.
Cook in a wide hot pan and let ingredients make contact with the surface before tossing for better browning.

Common mistakes

Overfilling the pan traps moisture and steams the food; split the batch if ingredients stop sizzling.
Adding a thin sauce too early makes the rice or noodles soggy; toss it in near the end and heat briefly.

Substitutions

Use leftover rice or noodles that have been chilled and loosened; fresh hot rice can clump in the pan.
A neutral high-heat oil can replace the named cooking oil; avoid strongly scented oil that masks the aromatics.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and use within 3 days. Reheat once until steaming hot throughout.

Cultural context

Larb or laap is a central Lao minced-meat salad often served with sticky rice and raw vegetables. Toasted rice powder adds a nutty aroma and light texture; lime, fish sauce, herbs and chilli vary by cook and region.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Day 224- Chicken Larb (7947748382).jpg — Photograph by Sodanie Chea from Norwalk, Ca, United States; CC BY 2.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to other world recipes

Lao Chicken Larb (Laap Gai)

Ingredients

Method

Toast the rice

Cook the chicken

Season while warm

Fold in the herbs

Balance and plate

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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