Laab Moo/Larb Mu - Thai Ground Pork Salad (ลาบหมู)

I don't remember how B. caught onto the idea that he wanted to make "laab moo" or "larb mu" - a Thai ground pork "salad".

I had a Thai friend who once told me that in Thai cooking, each dish should include all the basic tastes - sweet, savoury, sour, spicy... and potentially bitter and umami too. This lump of ground pork may look very simple, but it is flavoured with sugar (sweet), fish sauce (savoury/umami), lime (sour) and chili pepper (spicy), plus the unique aromas of shallots, green onions, galangal, mint, cilantro and kaffir lime leaves.


Another "key" ingredient in this is the toasted sticky rice powder (kao kua). I haven't been able to find it anywhere, but one of the recipes that we used (from Appetite for China) had instructions on how to make it.



This failed miserably for us. Toasting the rice was easy enough, but then we put the rice through a little spice grinder that we have and the grains came out very coarse and hard, instead of powder-like, so we omitted it from the recipe, and it still worked for us. Since then, I've read elsewhere that this ingredient is *essential* - I'm assuming it would add nuttiness and depth so I think next time I'll try a mortar and pestle or a food processor.

We used two recipes - B. originally found this recipe, but we ended up going more with the one from Appetite for China because we preferred to pan-fry the pork instead of boiling it and the ingredients were easier to find, though we did still keep in the galangal and kaffir lime leaves, which each lend their very distinctive flavours. Galangal is like a milder, sweeter ginger, while the kaffir lime leaves perfume the dish with a lemongrass-like scent. You have to cut them very small though, as they have a rubbery texture and are difficult to chew!


This recipe doubles very easily, which you will want to do because it is *so* flavourful and delicious (and because galangal and kaffir lime leaves don't usually come in such tiny portions). We served it with sticky rice, which B. made using the "microwave method".

Laab Moo/Larb Mu
Adapted from Appetite for China/Isan Cooking School
Makes 4 servings

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
  
• 1 lb (454 g) ground pork
  
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) toasted rice powder
  
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) fish sauce
  
• Juice from 1 lime
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) chili powder, or 1-2 tsp (5-10 mL) chili sauce
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) sugar
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) galangal, chopped finely
  
• 1 shallot, finely sliced
  
• 2 green onions, chopped
  
• ½ cup (125 mL) cilantro, chopped
  
• ½ cup (125 mL) mint, chopped
  
• 1 tsp kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced
  
• Lettuce and/or lime wedges for serving (optional)

1. Heat the cooking oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Cook the pork for 3 to 4 minutes, breaking up larger clumps with a spatula, until no trace of pink remains. Set aside to cool.
   
2. Once the pork has cooled for at least 5 minutes, stir in the toasted rice powder (if using), fish sauce, lime juice and chili powder (or sauce). Add freshly ground pepper to taste. Toss the pork with galangal, shallots, green onions, cilantro, mint and kaffir lime leaves.
   
3. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over the salad, if desired, and lettuce leaves for wrapping. Also great alone on top of white rice or sticky rice.
   

Nutrition Info (per serving): 324 calories, 21 g fat (8 g saturated, 0 g trans), 65 mg cholesterol, 10 g carbohydrate (1 g fibre, 2 g sugar), 19 g protein, 432 mg sodium. An excellent source of thiamin (vitamin B₁), vitamin B₁₂, vitamin K, zinc and selenium. A good source of riboflavin (vitamin B₂), niacin (vitamin B₃), magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.