New Style Larb Beef
There are probably 100´s of recipes for Larb Beef online, each one different and unique in their own way. In Laos, nearly every household has their own recipe. I remember at family gatherings, we always used to wait for my Uncle “Loung Tihn” to arrive so he could mix the Larb.
Here is our own version of Larb Beef, that is made to order.
You will need the following basic ingredients.
Beef Fillet (we use Tenderloin, about 100g)
The quantities of the remaining ingredients vary according to personal taste…
Mint Leaves
Coriander (include a little of the stalk)
Wedge of Lime
Chillies
Ground Toasted Sticky Rice (check out Manivan´s instructional video on how to make Ground Toasted Sticky Rice)
Diced Red Pepper
Shallots
Fish Sauce
Diced Green Pepper
Shredded Lime Leaves
(Not pictured) Shallot Oil cut with Garlic Oil (90%-10%)
The Beef should be fresh and cool.
Read on…
Dice the Beef by hand, never by machine, by first cutting long even “matchsticks” and then into small cubes.
Set aside in a cool place whilst you finish the other ingredients.
Slice the Shallots, Mint, Coriander and Chillies.
Place all the sliced and diced ingredients in to a mixing bowl. We use a bowl sitting in an Ice Bath to keep the ingredients cool.
Mix well.
Add the Fish Sauce and Shallot Oil. Mix again.
Add the Lime Juice. You will see that the Oil has given the Beef a “shine”, it will also lend a pleasant aroma of Roasted Shallots with just a tiny hint of Roasted Garlic. Mix again.
Finally add the Ground Toasted Sticky Rice. Season to taste by adding more Fish Sauce and Lime Juice if necessary. We don’t use Sugar in our Larb, however, if you want to, you can.
Serve immediately otherwise the lime juice will change the colour of the Beef. Garnish with a few Seasonal Leaves.
We found that adding flavoured Oils gave the dish more “body” and made it more acceptable to Western palates. It bounded the meat together much like the raw egg yolk does in a classic “Steak Tartare”. We use Tenderloin because it doesn’t have fat and has less sinew than other cuts, however, you can use most cuts of Beef for this dish, Rump is a good alternative.
If you remove the Shallot Oil mixture and add Padek Liquid, you basically have the traditional recipe for Laotian Beef Larb. Only sometimes do we add the pungent liquid of Padek, and that’s when we eat it…
;)
July 9th, 2006 at 2:26 am
This Larb really looks delicious, I have to try it!
But please: Tell me how I can prepare khao jii paa te!
When I was in Vientiane I had it evey day for breakfast. I liked it so much!
Regards,
Georg
July 9th, 2006 at 10:15 pm
“If you remove the Shallot Oil mixture and add Padek Liquid, you basically have the traditional recipe for Laotian Beef Larb. Only sometimes do we add the pungent liquid of Padek, and that’s when we eat it…”
Haha. But this is tartare not laab. If you don’t use padek or fish sauce, you have tartare. This is also too raw to be a traditional laab. More like laab seua, but closer to tartare.
However, I’ll let you get away with calling it laab if you include kha (galingale), which the best laab always contains.
May 25th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
hey i’m doing a propject on this so i’m gonna cook it. though i donno if it’s raw or not, i’m gonna try to make it. thanks for the help to make this.
hope it’s good. i love meat.
July 7th, 2007 at 12:02 am
[...] Here is a Larb Beef Recipe: New Style by Laocook.com. [...]
July 28th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
[...] Beef Salad or Larb Beef is a national dish of Laos. I like my larb medium rare. Check out the New Style Larb Beef recipe from Laocook.com and let the A Team know how you like [...]
September 5th, 2007 at 4:57 am
[...] Source: The Lao Cook [...]
October 9th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
grew up in america. love laos food. like food that goes with beer. how u make duck blood with larb?
October 10th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Hola Alex, and welcome to Lacook.
You can find information about Duck Blood (Larb Luert) below.
http://laocook.com/2007/03/18/lctv-duck-blood/
March 16th, 2008 at 7:54 am
Hi there, i really want to try my hand at this as my husband is addicted to raw beef! I look through your ingredients. but wat is that black stringy looking item at the bottom of the picture? I can’t make it out…
Thanks~
March 16th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Hola Nicole,
That is Shredded Kaffir Lime Leaves, which can be found at Asian stores either fresh, or more likely in the Frozen Section. Either way, just finely shred them, they add a wonderful aroma and flavour to the Larb, hope that you and your hubby enjoy it.
:)
April 4th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
OK, so what is the point of the toasted sticky rice? Is it a binder? Seems so, given that it will swell as it soaks in your liquids…
April 5th, 2008 at 1:48 am
Hola Hank,
The Toasted Sticky Rice is used for its flavour, aroma and crunchiness. After being toasted in a hot pan, it is too hard to soak up any juices, and must be pounded with a Pestle and Mortar to release its almost nutty taste, and texture.
It is used in many Lao dishes, though most notably a “larb”, whether it is Meat, Fish or Tofu.
You have an intereting site BTW. :)
April 9th, 2008 at 1:10 am
Thanks for the kind words!
On the sticky rice, I see about the crunch: Since you put them in late in the game, right before service it looks, then yeah, they’d be crunchy and not soft. Interesting. I bet I could do that Italian-style by using toasted, ground farro (an ancient form of wheat).
June 15th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
[...] The Solomillo is normally located running along the inside of the spine, between the shoulder and hip. This part of the meat does very little work, therefore remains the least stringy and most tender and free from fat. It is ideal served rare or used for raw dishes like Steak Tartare (and our New Style Beef Larb). [...]
October 26th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
ok now i know how to make this…man ive been looking all over the internet for this.
April 26th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
[...] are a type of Laotian meat salad. The most popular is made with beef which is best served raw, so freshness is very important. For those how shy away from raw meat [...]