Ground pork poached in a splash of water, then tossed with shallot, lime, fish sauce, chili flakes and homemade toasted rice powder, and finished with handfuls of mint and cilantro. Serve it with sticky rice and crunchy raw vegetables.

Ingredients

For the toasted rice powder (kao kua)

• 2 Tbsp jasmine rice or Thai glutinous rice
• 1 makrut lime leaf (optional)

For the laab

• 9 oz (250 g) ground pork
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce, divided
• 2 Tbsp water
• ¼ cup thinly julienned shallot
• 2 makrut lime leaves, finely julienned (optional)
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1–2 tsp chili flakes, to taste
• ⅛–¼ tsp MSG (optional)
• ¼ cup mint leaves, larger leaves torn
• 8–10 cilantro sprigs, roughly chopped
• 1 small green onion, chopped
• 2–3 sawtooth coriander leaves, thinly sliced (optional)

For serving

• Thai sticky rice
• Crunchy fresh vegetables, such as green cabbage, cucumber, long beans, romaine or radishes

Instructions

1. Toast the rice: put the raw rice and the lime leaf (if using) in a medium pot over medium-high to high heat and stir constantly until the rice is deeply browned. Pull out the lime leaf as soon as it turns dry and crisp, which usually happens before the rice is done. Tip the rice out of the pot right away so the leftover heat doesn’t over-toast it, and let it cool slightly.
2. Grind the rice and lime leaf in a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder into a sandy powder with no chunks. It doesn’t need to be flour-fine. If you’re using a mortar, discard the leaf’s center stem.
3. Add 2 tsp of the fish sauce to the pork and mash it in with a fork, breaking up the ground meat as you go.
4. In the same pot, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the pork and stir to break it up until it’s just cooked through, then take it off the heat right away so it doesn’t overcook.
5. While the pork is still hot, stir in the shallot and julienned lime leaves (if using), separating the shallot layers so they wilt.
6. Add the remaining fish sauce, the chili flakes, MSG, toasted rice powder and lime juice. Mix well, taste and adjust, adding more chili flakes if you want it hotter.
7. Just before serving, fold in the cilantro, green onion, mint and sawtooth coriander (if using). If the pork is still very hot, give it a couple of minutes to cool first so the herbs don’t wilt.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature with sticky rice and fresh vegetables.

Notes & substitutions