Spice up November with a tasty Thai Larb!
Our spicy Thai Chef’s Crate is the perfect present for adventurous cooks. With a ready supply of fragrant Thai lime leaves and homegrown lemon grass, they’ll soon be experimenting with exciting new recipes.
Our current favourite is this easy and delicious pork and peanut larb. It’s a cooked Thai salad served in lettuce leaves that is packed with flavour and a zingy citrus heat. Make it as an appetizer or serve it up with sticky rice for a simple main course.
1 tsp. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 lemon grass stalk, trimmed and finely chopped
500g minced pork
1 tsp. palm sugar or soft brown sugar
1 Thai lime leaf, finely chopped
15g fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
20g fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
20g fresh Thai basil leaves, ripped into small pieces
4 red chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped
1.5 tbsp. fish sauce
50g toasted chopped cashew nuts
2 limes
To serve: 2 Little Gem lettuces
Heat the oil over a medium high heat in a frying pan and add the garlic, onion and Lemon grass. Fry for 6-8 minutes until lightly browned.
Add the minced pork to the frying pan and cook quickly for 6-8 minutes, breaking up any clumps, until the mince is brown and any liquid has evaporated. Stir the sugar through the mixture and tip it into a mixing bowl. Allow to cool slightly.
Mix the fresh herbs together and set a tablespoon aside. Tip the remaining fresh herbs, chilli, fish sauce and cashew nuts into the mixing bowl. Add the zest and juice of 1 lime and stir well.
Separate and wash the little gem leaves and lay on a large platter. Fill the centre of each leaf with a generous spoonful of larb and scatter the reserved herbs over the top.
Cut the remaining lime into quarters and set around the leaves and serve immediately.
