iatebrisbane.com

I wonder how many of you have had the pleasure of visiting Thai Wi Rat in Chinatown?  The restaurant is named for chef-owners Wichuan and Sirirat, and dishes up the most flavoursome – and value for money – Thai and Laotian cuisine you’re likely to come across in Brisbane.  The ‘Rat is so good, in fact, that Gourmet Traveller named it amongst its best budget eats in 2006.

But, as usual, I digress — one of the standout dishes served up by the ‘Rat is the Larb Kai (or Larb Gai), a spicy minced chicken salad.  Full of tangy citrus flavours and the usual suspects of Thai cuisine (galangal, chilli, coriander), Larb has a fresh kick, and is best enjoyed with a side of sticky rice. The best way to do this is to take well-cooked sticky rice, and roll it into a tight ball (about the size of a ping pong ball) then press into flat disc with your hands — you then use this disc to pick up handfuls of the Larb. Oh and don’t forget to wash it all down with a nice cold beer.

For my attempt at Larb Kai, I had a couple of recipes to choose from.  One was a very simple take on Larb, from Thai Cooking by Kurt Kahrs, and the other was from the Women’s Weekly Beginners Thai, which had served us so well for Pad Sieu and Money Bags, but seemed to have a several extra ingredients than what I was used to for a Larb.  As such, I decided to take a hefty amount of creative license and feel my way in between the two recipes.

The result was pretty good, and when it came to mixing in the seasoning at the end, I really just did everything to taste, until I found a sweet and tangy balance that suited me.  I would definitely add more chilli next time, as I like my Larb to have a good kick to it!

The inclusion of the dry fried sticky rice into the mince gives the dish more body, and adds a slightly nutty flavour.  Simply pop the rice in a hot, dry wok and stir constantly until it is golden brown (8-10 mins). Then pound it in a mortar and pestle (or use a food processor) until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Finally, I absolutely botched my accompanying sticky rice, and I would say this — it’s definitely better to overdo it, and make it dryer (even if it’s verging on that overcooked crunchyness) than to have it undercooked, as it tends to makes a goopy mess of your hands when rolling if it’s undercooked!

Ingredients – Larb Kai

• 450g chicken mince
• 1 tbsp grated galangal (galangal is Thai ginger; if you can’t get galangal, regular ginger is fine)
• 1 birdseye (small) chilli, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp sticky (glutinous) rice, dry fried and pounded (see above)
• 1/4 cup of finely sliced shallots
• 1/4 cup coriander leaves
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• A few sprigs of mint to garnish (optional)

Method

NB: Before commencing the mince, start cooking 1 cup of sticky rice per the instructions on the packet.  This will be your accompanying rice.

1. Heat a small amount of oil in a frypan, and add galangal and chilli, cooking until fragrant
2. Add the chicken mince, and cook over low heat for about 5-7 mins so it is cooked through.
3. Stir through the shallots, coriander and dry fried sticky rice. Add half each of the lemon juice, fish sauce, kecap manis and peanut oil, and stir through until the mixture thickens slightly.
4. Add the rest of the lemon juice, fish sauce, kecap manis and peanut oil to taste.
5. Serve with crisp iceberg lettuce leaves with slices of orange, and accompany with your cooked sticky rice. Garnish the Larb with finely sliced shallots, coriander leaves and some mint.

Serves 4

Adapted from Thai Cooking by Kurt Kahrs, and Women’s Weekly Beginners Thai.