To Aunt May's delight and amusement, her mild-mannered nephew Peter orders Larb at their local Thai place. Despite her pun-centric lampooning, she'll soon discover that larb is the meat salad that'll make you less grossed out by the concept of something called 'meat salad'.
Ingredients
For the lettuce wraps:
Thai glutinous rice
1 small shallot
3 scallions
Fresh mint
Cilantro
Lemongrass
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 pound ground pork
2 generous pinches Thai chili powder
⅓ tsp sugar
½ Tbsp fish sauce
1 lime
Large lettuce leaves
For the mango sticky rice
3 cups sweet sticky rice
16 ounces coconut milk
¾ cup sugar
1 mango
Mint garnish (optional)
Method
Lettuce Wraps
In a dry skillet, pour in about 2 cups of the Thai glutinous rice and dry roast for about 15-20 min over medium-low heat. Make sure to turn constantly, until they resemble grain. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
Pulverize the cooled rice by using a high powered blender or a mortar and pestle. Grind until the granules are small enough to not get stuck in your teeth but large enough that they retain some crunch, resembling coarse sand.
Thinly slice the shallot and scallions. Finely chop the lemongrass. Wash and dry the mint and cilantro and remove the stems.
In a large skillet, heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high until shimmering. Add 1 pound of ground pork and brown. During the last minute of cooking, add the lemongrass and break down meat into bite sized pieces. Remove from heat.
In the large skillet with meat, add 2 generous pinches of Thai chili powder, sugar, fish sauce, juice of 1 lime, shallot, scallions, whole mint leaves, and 2 generous Tbsp of toasted rice powder. Taste and add salt if necessary.
Place seasoned meat over large lettuce leaves, add cilantro, and enjoy!
Mango Sticky Rice
In a large bowl, combine 3 cups sticky rice and 4 cups water, then massage to break up any clumps. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 6 hours, up to 24.
After sitting, uncover rice and strain it.
In a large pot, boil a few inches of water. Place strainer with rice over large pot and cover with the lid of the pan.
Let steam for 15 minutes and stir, then let cook again for an additional 15 minutes.
In a small saucepan pour in 16 ounces of coconut milk. Heat to about 200°F and then add ¾ cup sugar. Take off heat and stir to combine.
Put rice in large bowl, pour in half of coconut sauce, and stir. Let sit aside for about 20 minutes.
Peel the mango, cut around pit, then thinly slice. Spread decoratively on a plate.
Place rice into a ramekin that is lined with plastic wrap and flip over onto plate. Top with a generous amount of coconut sauce, garnish with optional mint, and enjoy!