Thai pork larb

It's been 2 months since I last posted about my 40th birthday cake. And a lot has happened since then.

Andy and I took a trip to Florida with my parents and brother. I painted an awesome stencil on my giant bathroom wall. And the earth has entered a global pandemic. So you know, totally normal things going on here.

It's been difficult to really motivate (see #3 above), but cooking and baking has been a stress relief for me. And a way to pass the time. So I'm thinking I'll also use this time as a way to catch up on awesome recipes I've been making! 

First up is larb. If you've followed me long enough you know I'm obsessed with the flavors of Thai cooking. And this larb recipe hits allllllllll the right umami/salty/spicy/sweet/tangy notes.

I love pork larb (especially since my local Vietnamese market a stones throw from my house has the best ground pork), but you can easily make this recipe with chicken or turkey as well, or any other ground protein of choice.

Serve the larb with lettuce (for making lettuce cups!), herbs, lime, and rice if you'd like. You can also go a bit less traditional and use it as a filling for spring rolls. It's delicious no matter what you do!

Yours in continuing her quest to eat all the Thai food,
Jacqueline

Thai Pork Larb
Recipe adapted from a variety of sources, including New York Times, Serious Eats, Eating Thai Food, and Matty Matheson.

Warning: I like fish sauce, a lot. So if you're less of a fan or not sure how much you like it, start with half the amount I've noted below and add more to taste. If you're new to fish sauce, my favorite is Red Boat, though Viet Huong (Three Crabs brand) is great too:

Ingredients

Larb
2 TBSP uncooked sticky rice or jasmine rice (sticky rice is more traditional but I used jasmine)
1 large shallot, thinly sliced (just under 1 cup)
3-4 TBSP fish sauce (see note above)
zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup lime juice (from 2-3 limes)
2 tsp palm sugar (you can increase this up to 1-2 TBSP if you like; you can also use light brown or white sugar if you don't have palm sugar) 
1 Thai chili (bird's eye chili), thinly sliced
up to 1 TBSP chili flakes (prik bon), more or less depending on how spicy you like it (I used Korean chili flakes [gochugaru] because I have a ton of it; you can also use red pepper flakes if you don't have chili flakes)
3 scallions, thinly sliced, half set aside
1 cup loosely packed mint leaves, half set aside
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, half set aside
1 TBSP chopped cilantro stems
1 pound ground pork
1 TBSP fish sauce
salt, if needed

For serving
lime wedges
cilantro
mint
lettuce cups
rice

Directions

1. Toasted rice powder: In large skillet, toast the rice over medium heat (stirring frequently!) until it smells nutty and is golden brown, about 4-6 minutes. Use your eyes/nose here more than the clock to gauge doneness. You want it deeply golden but not burnt. Grind the rice in a spice grinder (or mortar and pestle). You want the final consistency to be similar to finely ground black pepper (aka: not like flour but not huge chunks of rice). Set aside the rice powder and wipe out the skillet (you'll use it for the pork in step 3).
2. Marinade: In a large bowl, whisk together the shallots, 3-4 TBSP fish sauce (or less to taste), lime zest, lime juice, palm sugar, Thai chili, chili flakes, half the scallions, half the mint laves, half the cilantro leaves, and the cilantro stems. Set aside.
3. Pork: Heat your large skillet over medium heat, add pork and 1 TBSP fish sauce. Cook the pork, stirring frequently and breaking apart the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula, until the meat is no longer pink (but not browned), about 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
4. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to the bowl with the chili-herb mixture. Add the rice powder and stir to combine. Taste the pork mixture and add extra salt and chili if needed. Add the remaining scallions, mint, and cilantro. Toss together one last time and enjoy!