Laab Moo | Thai Isan-Style Ground Pork Salad | ลาบหมู

Laab Moo (ลาบหมู) is a Thai meat salad originating from the Northeastern (Isan) region of Thailand. Ready in 15 minutes, this one-pot dish is made with ground pork, toasted rice powder, fresh herbs and wonderfully seasoned with fish sauce, palm sugar, lime juice and chili flakes.

What Is Laab?

Laab (ลาบ), sometimes spelled Larb, is a Thai salad that consists mainly of ground meat and fresh herbs. This recipe uses pork, but you can make it with any type of protein you like, from beef to chicken, duck, or even fish.

Although laab originated in the North East of Thailand, it's popular throughout the country. You can find it at pretty much any restaurants or eateries here in Thailand.

One of the things that distinguishes laab from other Thai salads is the crunchy texture it gets from having toasted rice powder as one of the ingredients. Apart from the texture, toasted rice powder also gives laab toasty and nutty flavors, while also thickening the dressing, allowing it to coat the ground meat throughly.

Just like other Isan dishes, laab is usually enjoyed with sticky rice (check out my tutorial on how to make sticky rice here), along with som tam. But steamed rice also works. This dish is also often served with fresh vegetables such as cucumber, cabbage, and long beans. So, if you're looking for a meal that's high in protein and you can enjoy lots of fresh vegetables with, this is it.

Pork Laab is very simple to make. It requires you to cook just the meat which takes no more than 5 minutes. And the bonus point is you can make it in one single pot, which means very little cleaning afterward!

Ingredients

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

• Ground Pork: For the ground meat, I recommend little to no fat. Laab is supposed to be pretty lean.
• Shallots: These are a must in laab. They some extra flavor and texture to it. You can sub them with red onions.
• Fish Sauce: Use any brand you have, but the Abalone brand fish sauce is the one I highly recommend. It just smells delicious!
• Palm Sugar: When making a Thai salad dressing, it's best to use palm sugar since it dissolves well and gives an umami flavor. You can get it on Amazon here or use another type of sugar or sweetener if you prefer.
• Lime Juice: Use fresh lime juice for the best flavor and fragrance. I don't recommend using lime seasoning powder here. If you can't find fresh limes, go for lemons instead.
• Chili Flakes: Order them online through the link provided or make them yourself following my guide here!
• Toasted Rice Powder: Again, it's super easy to make the homemade version of toasted rice powder. But if you don't have the time, you can get this online and use it in other thai salads and sauces such as laab and nam jim jaew.
• Mint Leaves: This herb is another must for laab. It makes the dish very refreshing.

How To Make Laab Moo

1. Set a pot over medium heat. Add ground pork and bout ¼ cup of water and use a spoon to stir until the pork is throughly cooked, about 3-5 minutes. If there's some water left, drain it.
2. While waiting for the pork to cool down a little, peel and thinly slice shallots.
3. Add fish sauce, palm sugar, lime juice to the pork. Use a spoon to stir until the palm sugar is fully dissolved.
4. Add chili flakes and toasted rice powder. Continue to stir with the spoon until every thing is well-mixed.
5. Add the sliced shallots and fresh mint leaves. Stir again so that the shallots and mint leaves are well-scattered. Serve immediately.

Tips

Make laab when ready to serve so that the herbs are still fresh and not wilted. If you make it in advance for a long time, the toasted rice powder will also absorb all the moisture in the dressing and the salad gets pretty dull.

Laab is just not good when it's been sat on the table for a long time.

Storage and Reheating

I recommend finishing laab within one sitting as it contains fresh lime juice. Most Thai salads aren't perfect for storing because of the fresh ingredients in the dressing.

Reheating is also not recommended because the heat will cook the toasted rice powder, and again, it will take away the moisture in the salad.

All in all, make this dish in an amount you can finish within one go.

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