Beef Larb Salad
Heralding from Thailand and Laos, Larb is an explosion of flavors and textures with ground beef and lettuce wraps as the vehicle. Lime, chili, and fish sauce pack a punch, while the pickled vegetables add a cool crunch. The best part about this recipe—besides being a total crowd pleaser—is how quickly it comes together. Like many Asian dishes, have everything chopped and prepped and ready to go—cause once you turn on the pan it all happens pretty quickly. You might want to make more—the leftovers are perfect with rice or a fried egg.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons grapeseed or vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
¼ cup sliced shallots
2 pounds ground beef
1 red chili, thinly sliced
3 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Juice of 1 lime, plus more limes for garnish
2 shots of sriracha
½ cup chopped cilantro leaves, plus leaves for garnish
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup peanuts, plus more for garnish
Bibb lettuce leaves
1 Persian cucumber, sliced
Pickled Veg
4 red radishes, thinly sliced
¼ of a red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup warm water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1-2 shots of sriracha sauce
METHOD
For the picked vegetables, combine radish, onion, vinegar, water, salt, sugar and sriracha in a small bowl and cover tightly. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and shallot and sauté for 1 minute, then add in beef and cook until cooked thru. Stir in fish sauce, salt, lime, sriracha, chopped cilantro, sugar and peanuts.
To serve, arrange beef on a platter with lettuces. Top with picked vegetables, cucumber, peanuts and cilantro. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
