I've eaten and prepared larb over the years, but this version is one I return to frequently because it's super easy. With minimal cooking involved, it's great for summer's warm days. First off, what most people know as larb and most often eaten in Thai restaurants actually hails from Laos. The spelling also varies -- larb, laap, and lap, with the latter two being for folks who are keen on correct pronunciation of the Lao term.
Regardless of how you spell it, the fragrant DIY salad-y snack is practically the national dish of Laos. It's also a favorite with the Hmong, and synonymous with Issan (northeastern) Thai cooking. It can be made many ways and typically features minced meat highly seasoned by chile, lime juice, fish sauce, and lots of freshly chopped herbs. Ground toasted rice imparts a wonderful nuttiness. No matter how it's made, laarb is earthy, soulful, spicy, herby and savory-tangy.
It’s the seasonings that define larb, as the main protein can vary. Many restaurants serve chicken or pork larb, often times relying on ground meat and poaching it. In Minneapolis at Lat 14, chef/owner Anne Ahmed once served me a hand-chopped larb that was splendid in texture. Hand rendering the star elements is key, Andy Ricker says for the intricate larb that he once served at Pok Pok.
There are intricate versions of larb that I'll never attempt because the seasonings aren't readily available in America. I stick to making basic, gateway larb. Wanting a vegetarian rendition with hand-rendered texture, I replace the meat with crumbled tofu. Its porosity absorbs flavors well and the result appeals to meat and non-meat diners. Here are tips to help you create your own signature version.
What kind of Tofu works
When making larb, I've cubed up super-firm tofu and seasoned pressed tofu but here, I simply crumble extra-firm tofu. It's simple to do and fast: Just break it into chunks and squeeze in a clean cloth. My favorite cloth the kitchen is unbleached muslin.
The extra-firm tofu I used for this recipe was on the extra, extra-firm side so I had to break some of the chunks up more. Despite labeling, tofu is not consistent in firmness labeling. It's like jeans sizing! Find a brand you like and stick with it. I typically use Trader Joe's, Wildwood, Whole Foods, and Nasoya. This time, I tried a local brand.
Ground Toasted Rice as a Key Larb Ingredient
In Vietnamese, we call nubby, nutty ground toasted rice thính. Many Viet people buy it for dishes like bì -- shredded pork skin, but it's easy to make at home. Some people use glutinous rice and soak it first, but I prefer long-grain and skip the soaking.
For larb, the rice adds an unmistakable fragrance and delicate texture. As soon as the rice hits the larb, you can smell its toastiness. Patience and observation is needed to avoid under or over toasting the rice. You only need a tablespoon for this larb so it's no biggie to redo it. That said, if this your first go at it, here's a how-to video for the toasted, ground rice:
If you make a extra, use the ground, toasted rice for these grilled Thai beef short-ribs and this northeastern Thai sauce called jaew.
Versatile Larb Veggies
For years, I thought that cabbage was the must-have for wrapping up the larb mixture. It's whast most Thai restaurants served. Cabbage's crisp vegetal characteristics add interesting texture and flavor. But cabbage can be unwieldly to wrap. Once I realized that larb may be enjoyed with lettuce, I began switching back and forth.
I've written this tofu larb recipe to offer options for you aside from the cabbage/lettuce swap. Go with green beans or Asian long beans (the latter is more tender). No makrut lime leaves? No problem. Just grate the limes before you juice them! And, assertive shallot is what's typically employed but more delicate tasting red onion is a pretty stand in.
Herbs for Larb and What to Pair with It
You'll make fabulous tofu larb with herbaceous notes from fresh cilantro and mint -- two herbs that are readily available. I like to chop them up fine to distribute well among the nubs of tofu. Sometimes I'll serve extra sprigs on the side for diners to tear off a leaf and add it to their wrap. Other herbs that are nice include Vietnamese coriander (rau ram), thorny cilantro (culantro) and lemon basil. Thai basil would work well too. Below I've got lemon basil in the center. I eat the flowers and blossom, too.
Laap is traditionally served with steamed sticky rice and eaten by hand. You can substitute boiled short-grain rice for the sticky rice. Or, go rogue and serve the tofu larb as a main dish with a simple bowl of soup. I had homemade chicken broth with greens from the garden. It was a great healthy, summer lunch.
Here you go! Hope you return to this recipe often.
Tofu Larb Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 dried arbol or other moderately hot dried chile, stemmed, or 1 ½ teaspoons dried red chile flakes
- 1 tablespoon raw long-grain rice
- 14 to 16- ounce block extra-firm tofu
- ¼ cup thinly sliced shallot or red onion
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced green onion, white and green parts
- 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce, standard or vegan (see Note for a soy sauce sub)
- Fine sea salt
- 2 Makrut lime leaves, minced, or grated zest of 1 ½ limes
- 2 tablespoons lightly packed finely chopped mint leaves
- 1 ½ tablespoons lightly packed finely chopped cilantro
- Leaves from 1 small head leaf lettuce, or ¼ head green cabbage, cut into wedges
- 6 to 8 cherry tomatoes halved if medium or quartered if large
- 6 long beans or 12 regular green beans, cut into 3-inch lengths (optional)
Instructions
- In a small skillet over medium heat, roast the whole chiles for 5 to 6 minutes, turning them frequently, until aromatic and dark. Transfer to a plate to cool. (Or, roast the chile flakes over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.) Add the rice to the skillet and roast for 3 to 4 minutes over medium or medium-low heat, shaking the skillet frequently, until caramel brown in color. Let cool.
- Place the chiles in a clean spice grinder (or coffee grinder dedicated to spices) and process to a powder. Transfer to a small bowl. Put the rice in the spice grinder and pulse to a coarse texture. Transfer to another small bowl.
- Break up the tofu into 6 to 8 chunks. Working in batches, put the tofu in a non-terry dishtowel or piece of muslin, then gather it up. Standing over a sink, firmly squeeze and massage the tofu; unwrap and transfer to a bowl. You should have about 12 ounces (1 ½ cups) of crumbled tofu. Break up any super big piece, if needed.
- To assemble the salad, toss the tofu with the shallot, green onion, lime juice, and fish sauce. Set aside for 10 minutes for the flavors to combine. Add the lime leaf, mint, and cilantro, then taste. The salad should be tart, salty, pungent, and herby. Add salt, extra lime juice, and/or herbs.
- Finally, add the ground chile and toasted rice. Toss, taste again, and adjust the seasonings, as needed. Serve in a shallow bowl or on a plate with the vegetables on the side. Invite diners to wrap the tofu in a palm-size piece of lettuce with some tomato and green bean.
