Laab - ลาบ (Thai Chicken Salad)
Calling this dish “salad” can be misleading as it’s mainly minced chicken. However, the herbs and refreshingly light taste make up for it. This dish is regarded as the “unofficial” national dish of Laos and is very popular in Thailand where it can be found everywhere. In the tropical heat, Laab is usually eaten with a side of steamed glutinous rice (sticky rice) and papaya salad. There are multiple varieties of this salad, substituting the minced chicken with, for instance, beef or pork.
Ingredients:
(makes 2 servings)
2 tbsp toasted glutinous rice, crushed into powder (Alternatively, you can buy toasted rice powder in an Asian grocery store)
1 chicken breast (around 200g), minced and unseasoned
½ red onion or shallot, very thinly sliced
½ lime, juiced
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp spring onion, sliced
1 tsp ground dried chili flakes
A handful of fresh mint
Special Equipment Needed:
Mortar and pestle for crushing the toasted glutinous rice
Cleaver or meat grinder for mincing the chicken breast
Instructions:
First, prepare the toasted glutinous rice. (If you have toasted rice powder, you can skip this step.) Toast the glutinous rice in a dry pan over medium heat. Stir frequently to make sure it doesn’t burn. Once the rice takes on a nice golden brown color, transfer the rice into a bowl and let cool completely. Once cooled, you can crush the toasted rice into powder using a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
Mince the chicken breast. To do so, first cut it into smaller pieces and then, if you are using a cleaver, start chopping until you reach a fine texture. Of course, you can also accomplish this using a meat grinder or food processor.
In a small pot, add around 100ml of water and bring to a boil. Add the minced chicken breast into the boiling water and stir until the chicken is cooked. This will only take a few minutes. Remove from the heat and drain the excess water. Let the chicken breast cool for about 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, finely slice the red onion and spring onion. Wash the mint, pluck the leaves, and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the red onions, lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar.
Add the cooled chicken breast to the bowl and toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference.
Add the chili powder, spring onions, toasted rice powder, and mint leaves. Stir well.
To plate, garnish the Laab with mint leaves and sprinkle with some more toasted rice powder. In addition, you can serve it with sliced cucumber, spring onion, cabbage and lettuce. Serve with a side of steamed sticky rice.
Enjoy!
