Pork Larb

Pork Larb

‘Larb’ is a spicy Thai dish usually made from minced (ground) chicken or pork. I love to use mince in stir fries because it cooks so quickly and stays nice and tender… so it’s hard to mess up!

450g (1lb) pork mince (ground pork)
2-6 small red chillies, chopped
2-3 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons lime juice + 2 lime halves to serve
2 bunches coriander (cilantro) or mint, leaves picked

1. Heat a large frying pan or wok on a very high heat. Add a little oil and cook the pork and chillies, stirring continuously until the pork is well browned.

2. Remove from the heat and toss in the fish sauce and lime juice. Taste and add more fish sauce (or salt) or lime juice as needed.

3. Serve hot with mint or coriander leaves on top.

Variations

no fish sauce – use soy sauce, oyster sauce or coconut aminos instead.

vegetarian – replace pork with crumbled firm tofu or cooked lentils.

more veg – serve with cauliflower ‘rice’ (raw grated cauli). Feel free to add you fave stir fry veg like chopped carrot, corn, bok choy or red bell peppers (capsicum) to the pan.

carb lovers / more substantial – serve with steamed rice or toss cooked rice noodles in with the meat.

more substantial (low carb) – serve with Cauliflower ‘rice’, roast cashews or peanuts.

different meat – any ground (minced) meat is fine. Try chicken or beef. Note that beef may need a bit more lime juice.

more flavour – feel free to add finely chopped garlic and/or ginger to the pan.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

pork mince (ground pork) – freeze it.

red chillies – will keep for months in the fridge. Can be frozen or left unwrapped in the fridge they will slowly turn into dried chillies and still be edible.

fish sauce – keep it in the pantry.

lime – will keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for months.

coriander (cilantro) or mint – best to use for another meal. Can be frozen but will wilt when defrosted.

Prepare Ahead

Best when freshly made. However, leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to a week and can be frozen.

Problem Solving Guide

dry – next time use fattier pork mince. For now drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil and/or more lime.

bland – more lime! and some salt will help. More chilli might help too.

Serving Suggestions

Great on its own or lovely with steamed rice or cauliflower ‘rice’.

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