Chicken Laap Recipes

THAI LETTUCE WRAPS (LARB GAI, LAAB GAI)

Steps:

• Sauce: Place water and cornflour OR rice powder into a small bowl. Mix into a slurry. Add lime juice, fish sauce and sugar and mix to combine. Set aside.
• Heat peanut oil in a wok (or heavy based fry pan) over medium high heat. Add ginger, garlic, lemongrass and chilli and sauté for 45 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant. Do not let the garlic burn, it will taste bitter.
• Add the chicken and turn up the heat to high. Cook the chicken, breaking up the mince into small pieces.
• Once the chicken turns white and is almost cooked through (about 3 to 4 minutes), add Sauce. Cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute to coat the chicken and for the sauce to thicken.
• Remove wok from heat. Stir through onion, coriander/cilantro and mint.
• Spoon filling into a bowl, and serve with lettuce, peanuts, extra herbs and lime wedges on the side - leave everyone to make their own. Spoon filling into lettuce cups and garnish with what you want!
• Sauce option: Take it over the top by serving with Thai Peanut Satay Sauce, as pictured in the first photo in post! It's extra amazing (though not traditional!)

CHICKEN LARB

Steps:

• In a dry wok or pan over low heat, toast the rice grains, stirring continuously until they turn golden and fragrant--about 10 minutes. Grind to a coarse powder in a mortar & pestle or spice grinder. Set aside.
• Heat your wok over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Fry half the shallots in the oil until crispy. Remove the shallots from the wok, leaving behind any oil.
• Place your wok back over high heat until smoking. Add the ground chicken. Stir-fry until the chicken is browned and crispy, and add in the sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice.
• Stir-fry for another minute, and add the toasted rice powder, chilies, the rest of the raw shallots, scallions, cilantro, and mint. Stir-fry for one more minute, and then taste for seasoning, adding salt or more chili, sugar, fish sauce, and/or lime juice to your taste if needed.
• Serve in lettuce cups topped with the reserved crispy shallots.

THAI CHICKEN LARB

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken. Cook and stir until chicken is broken into little pieces, about 5 minutes. Add red onion and scallions. Continue to cook and break up the chicken until browned, about 2 minutes. Add cilantro, mint, ginger, lemon grass, fish sauce, and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir until flavors blend, about 3 minutes more. Season with sea salt.

THAI LARB GAI (CHICKEN WITH LIME, CHILI AND FRESH HERBS)

Steps:

• To make roasted rice powder, heat a wok or skillet over high heat. Add raw rice and cook, stirring often, until rice is toasted and dark brown, but not black, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside to cool. Grind to a coarse powder in a mortar, blender or coffee grinder; set aside.
• To cook chicken, heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. When very hot, add 2 tablespoons water, then add chicken, stirring constantly to break up any lumps. Cook just until cooked through, about two minutes, then transfer to mixing bowl. While chicken is just warm, add remaining ingredients (except for garnishes) and roasted rice powder. Mix gently but thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings. Mixture should be tangy, salty and lightly spicy.
• Spoon onto serving plate and surround with mint, lettuce and cucumber. Serve with rice. If serving with sticky rice, pinch some off, mold into a small ball and dip into larb, scooping up a little of each ingredient. Or scoop larb into lettuce leaves.

CHICKEN LAAP

Steps:

• Cook rice in a dry small heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring constantly, until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes (rice will smoke). Grind to a coarse powder in an electric coffee/spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
• Thinly slice chicken crosswise and cut slices into thin strips. Season chicken with salt. Heat oil in a wok or heavy skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then stir-fry chicken until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove chicken from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons rice powder, reserving remainder for another use. Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
• Mound chicken on a platter and serve with a basket or bowl of sticky rice and plate of herbs, tomato, and cucumber.