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J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process
Updated March 26, 2019
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This ain't your grandma's pork larb. Unless your grandma happens to be of Lanna descent and native to Northern Thailand, in which case, this is probably very much like your grandma's pork larb. Lanna Thai larb is similar to Isan larb in that it starts with minced meat, but from there, it diverges wildly. Gone is the hot-sour-sweet balance you find in Isan-style larb. Instead, you find a much darker mince, with tender bits of lean pork mixed together with chunks of fat, chewy bits of intestine, and a rich, thick sauce flavored with crushed spices and pork blood. It's not larb for the faint of heart, but it's one worth seeking out or cooking at home if you've got any interest in offal.
Why this recipe works:
- Frying whole cloves of smashed garlic gives you garlic oil to cook with and crisp fried garlic to use for garnish.
- Hand-chopping the pork is key for the best texture.
- Toasting the spice mix before grinding and blooming it in hot oil delivers maximum flavor extraction and development.
Note: Long pepper can be ordered via Amazon. Leave out the pork offal and blood if desired or unavailable. Instead, use an extra 1/4 pound of lean pork in its place. Pork can be chopped in the food processor if desired. To do so, cut pork into rough 1-inch pieces and place on a large plate. Freeze for 15 minutes. Working in two batches, transfer pork to a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped and pieces no larger than 1/4-inch remain. Follow recipe as instructed.
Recipes From Chiang Mai: Larb Muang Moo (Northern Thai-Style Chopped Pork Salad)
Recipe Details
Larb Muang Moo (Northern Thai-Style Chopped Pork Salad) Recipe
Active30 mins
Total30 mins
Serves4 servings
Ingredients
2 small dried hot chiles
1/4 teaspoon whole coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon whole Sichuanpeppercorns
1 whole long pepper (see note)
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
1 star anisepod
1 (1/4-inch piece) mace, or 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cinnamon stick
4 pods Thai black cardamom, inner seeds only, or 1 pod green cardamom
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
6 small cloves garlic, skins on, smashed in a mortar and pestle or under a heavy skillet
1/2 pound lean pork loin or shoulder, chopped by hand into pieces no larger than 1/4-inch (see note)
1/4 pound mixed pork offal such as kidney, liver, or tripe, chopped by hand into pieces no larger than 1/4-inch (see note)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and fine stems
1/4 cup fresh pork blood(see note)
Kosher salt
Fish sauce
Sticky rice or regular rice for serving
Directions
Combine hot chiles, coriander, Sichuan peppercorn, long pepper, cloves, star anise, mace, cinnamon, cardamom, and black pepper in wok. Heat over medium heat, stirring and tossing constantly, until toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder and grind into a fine powder.
Wipe out wok and add oil. Heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add smashed garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crisp, about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
Reheat garlic oil over high heat until shimmering. Add pork and pork offal and cook, stirring and tossing constantly, until barely cooked through, about 1 minute. Add spice blend and cilantro and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add pork blood if using and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 30 seconds.
Season mixture to taste with salt and fish sauce. Serve immediately with rice or sticky rice, sprinkled with fried garlic.
Special equipment
Mortar and pestle or spice grinder, wok
This Recipe Appears In
- Recipes From Chiang Mai: Larb Muang Moo (Northern Thai-Style Chopped Pork Salad)
- Four Essential Northern Thai Dishes to Make Right Now
- Pork Loin
- Thai
- Dairy-free Salads
- Stovetop Pork
- Cilantro
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 214 | Calories |
| 12g | Fat |
| 6g | Carbs |
| 21g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
×
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 214 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 12g | 15% |
| Saturated Fat 2g | 11% |
| Cholesterol 137mg | 46% |
| Sodium 560mg | 24% |
| Total Carbohydrate 6g | 2% |
| Dietary Fiber 1g | 5% |
| Total Sugars 2g | |
| Protein 21g | |
| Vitamin C 41mg | 207% |
| Calcium 37mg | 3% |
| Iron 2mg | 12% |
| Potassium 336mg | 7% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
