Thai Larb Gai Lettuce Cups
Larb Gai Lettuce Cups
Minced chicken is quickly cooked and tossed with lime, fish sauce, toasted rice powder, fresh herbs, and chili, then spooned into crisp lettuce cups.
Larb gai is a Thai minced chicken salad built around contrast: warm savory meat, sharp lime, salty fish sauce, roasted rice, fresh herbs, and steady chili heat. Serving it in lettuce cups keeps the dish light while still making it feel complete enough for dinner.
The toasted rice powder is small but important. It adds a nutty aroma and a gentle grit that helps the dressing cling to the chicken. Toasting and grinding the rice yourself takes only a few minutes and gives the larb a fresher flavor than a stale jar from the back of the pantry.
Cook the chicken just until it loses its raw look, then season it while warm so it absorbs the lime and fish sauce. Shallots, scallions, mint, cilantro, and Thai basil should go in off the heat so they stay bright instead of wilting into the meat.
Set the chicken, lettuce, cucumber, and extra herbs on the table and let everyone build cups as they eat. The filling is best slightly warm or room temperature, with enough lime to taste vivid and enough toasted rice to make every bite fragrant.
Nutrition (per serving)
Directions
-
1
Toast the jasmine rice in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until deep golden and nutty smelling, 4 to 6 minutes.
-
2
Transfer the toasted rice to a mortar, spice grinder, or small food processor and grind it to a coarse powder; set it aside.
-
3
Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and cook, breaking it into small pieces, until no pink remains, about 5 minutes.
-
4
Add the broth or water and scrape the skillet so the chicken stays juicy rather than browned dry.
-
5
Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, chilies, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the toasted rice powder.
-
6
Fold in the shallots and scallions, then let the mixture stand for 3 minutes so the onion softens slightly in the warm dressing.
-
7
Add the mint, cilantro, and Thai basil and toss gently. Taste and adjust with more lime juice, fish sauce, chili, or toasted rice powder.
-
8
Spoon the larb gai into lettuce leaves and serve with cucumber slices, lime wedges, and any remaining toasted rice powder.
Ingredients
- Uncooked jasmine rice:2 tbsp
- Neutral oil:1 tbsp
- Ground chicken:1 lb
- Chicken broth or water:3 tbsp
- Fish sauce:3 tbsp
- Fresh lime juice:3 tbsp
- Light brown sugar:1 tsp
- Thai chilies thinly sliced, or 1 tsp chili flakes:2
- Shallots thinly sliced:2 medium
- Scallions thinly sliced:3
- Fresh mint leaves torn:1/2 cup
- Fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems chopped:1/2 cup
- Thai basil leaves torn:1/4 cup
- Butter lettuce or little gem leaves separated:12 large leaves
- English cucumber sliced for serving:1/2
- Lime wedges for serving:4
Tips & Notes
- For milder heat, seed the Thai chilies or start with half the amount and add more at the table.
- Do not skip the toasted rice powder; it gives larb its signature aroma and texture.
- The chicken filling can rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes, but add the herbs close to serving.
