Chicken and toasted rice larb

Full of fresh and flavourful ingredients, this Thai classic from Bill Granger is great for the summer. 

Serves 6 as part of a spread.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon jasmine rice

1 garlic clove, chopped 

1 lemon grass stalk, white only, finely chopped 

1 green chilli, chopped

2 tablespoons light-flavoured oil 

500g chicken mince 

3 spring onions, finely sliced 

2 teaspoons caster sugar 

2 tablespoons fish sauce 

4 tablespoons lime juice, plus wedges to serve 

1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes, plus extra to serve 

1 kaffir lime leaf, finely sliced 

2 cos lettuce, broken into leaves 

1 bunch coriander, leaves picked

Method

1. Toast the rice in a small, dry frying pan over a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly until the rice is lightly toasted. Transfer to a pestle and mortar (or a food processor) and pound until finely crushed. Remove and set aside. Bash the garlic, lemon grass and chilli to a paste.

2. Heat a wok over a high heat, add the oil and, when hot, add the mince and spring onion. Cook until the mince is browned. Remove the wok from the heat, add the garlic and chilli paste, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, chilli flakes and lime leaf, and stir to combine.

3. To serve, pile the larb onto a big platter and sprinkle with ground rice and extra lime wedges, put the crisp lettuce leaves in another dish and the coriander in a third; let your guests dig in and make themselves a larb parcel on their plate. Serve with extra dried chilli flakes. 

Photo credit: Kristin Perers