Fridge Cleanout Cooking: Larb (Thai Herb Salad)

Larb (also spelled laab or laap) is a bright, herb-packed meat salad from Laos and northeastern Thailand, made by tossing cooked ground meat with lime juice, fish sauce, chilies, toasted rice powder, and lots of fresh herbs for a dish that’s savory, tangy, and deeply aromatic. This is larb with a “use what you’ve got” mindset. Ground meat gets stretched with finely chopped vegetables—think mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, or the last handful of cabbage in the crisper—then tossed with lime, herbs, chili, and toasted rice powder. It’s bright, punchy, and a perfect way to turn a nearly-empty fridge into something exciting. Serve it with lettuce cups, rice, or tucked into cabbage leaves.

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Larb (Thai Herb Salad)

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• For the Meat Mixture:
  • 1 Tbsp neutral oil
  • 1–2 cups finely chopped vegetables (such as mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, cabbage, bell peppers, green beans, broccoli stems, cauliflower stems, eggplant, or cooked lentils)
  • 1 lb ground chicken, pork, turkey, or beef
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ cup thinly sliced shallots or red onion
  • ½ cup green onions, sliced, white and green parts separated
  • ½–1 cup chopped cilantro, divided
  • ½ cup mint leaves
  • 1–2 loose handfuls greens (spinach, arugula, or mixed greens)
• For the Dressing:
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 3 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tsp sugar (palm sugar, brown sugar, or honey)
  • 1–2 Tbsp toasted rice powder
  • 1–2 tsp chili flakes or finely chopped fresh chilies
• For Serving:
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
  • Sliced fresh chilies or jalapeños
  • Reserved cilantro and green onions
  • Butter lettuce cups, cabbage leaves, sticky rice, or jasmine rice

Instructions

1. Cook the vegetables: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until much of their moisture cooks off and they begin to soften and lightly caramelize, about 5–7 minutes. The goal is to cook them down so they concentrate in flavor and blend into the meat later.
2. Add the meat: Add the ground meat and ¼ cup water to the pan. Cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until fully cooked and the mixture is lightly saucy. The vegetables will release additional moisture and help steam the meat. Remove from heat once the meat is cooked through.
3. Mix the dressing: In a medium bowl, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, toasted rice powder, and chili flakes or chopped chilies. Stir and let it sit for a minute so the chilies infuse the dressing.
4. Add the aromatics: Add the sliced shallots or red onion and the white parts of the green onions to the warm meat mixture.
5. Finish with herbs and greens: Pour the dressing over the warm meat mixture and stir well to coat. Immediately add the mint, greens, most of the cilantro, and most of the green onion tops, reserving some herbs for garnish. Toss until the herbs and greens just wilt into the warm mixture.
6. Taste and adjust: Taste and adjust the balance as needed. Add more lime for brightness, more fish sauce for salt, or more chili for heat. The finished larb should taste punchy, savory, and very fresh.
7. Serve: Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the reserved cilantro, green onions, and sliced chilies or jalapeños. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

Notes

• Suggested vegetables:
  • Mushrooms
  • Carrots
  • Zucchini
  • Cabbage
  • Bell peppers
  • Green beans
  • Broccoli stems
  • Cauliflower stems
  • Eggplant
  • Cooked lentils (for extra stretch)
• Chili options for heat:
  • Thai bird chilies
  • Serranos
  • Jalapeños
  • Fresno chilies
  • Crushed red pepper
  • Gochugaru
  • Aleppo pepper
  • Chili crisp (great stirred in at the end)
• Sauce alternatives:
  • Soy sauce + rice vinegar
  • Tamari + lime
  • Coconut aminos + pinch of salt
  • Miso + lime juice
  • Worcestershire + soy sauce
  • Anchovy paste + water

Homemade | homemadecooking.com

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