Larb Gai – Lahb Gai – Laab Gai – Larp Gai – Laap Gai – Lahb Gai ลาบไก่
That is what we are making - I had no idea it was called so many strange things that I couldn't pronounce.
We are lucky enough to live in a local culture where lots of people have lived abroad for 2 years serving church missions. That means lots of people who know a little bit about local cooking and a lot about local eating.
We had some friends that would invite us over when we lived in Washington and they would make up Lop. (at least that is what we called it) - It was so delicious!! - and the experience of eating it was really super fun.
I asked for the recipe and started making it for my family when they would come to visit. They loved it and went home and started making it for their friends. It has gone though lots and lots of variations, I am almost positive that this version is note a thing like anything you would get if you had it anywhere else.
But it is delicious, my kids and my family Love it! It makes for a really really fun (and so super easy) family dinner. The little ones ask for the meat you eat with your hands - and the big guys get very territorial about who gets the leftovers. That is my kind of meal, low-cost, quick, guaranteed eat!
The only part that I think makes a bit of difference is that you use the right meat. The recipe called for 2 parts ground turkey to 1 part ground pork. You shouldn't really use beef and you shouldn't use sausage. It really does make a difference.
Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 lb ground pork
Sauce:
3-4 Tbsp. sodium-reduced soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice wine or rice vinegar
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp.sesame oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. green onion, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. chili paste (sambal oleek or chili paste sauce with garlic) I leave this out if my mom is coming - she does not do spicy
Cooked Rice - use the stickiest rice you can - We just use plain old rice though - we don't get fancy.
Directions:
Put on a large pot of rice to cook. I always cook double what I think I am going to need to use later. The rice for this needs to be nice and fresh so it isn't great for the second night of "eat twice", but it makes the perfect first night. -- anyway, cook some rice.
Begin to brown your meat in a large skillet. While the meat is cooking, break it into very very small pieces. You want the end result to be that meat pieces are about the same size as the grains of rice.
While you meat is browning, add the ingredients for the sauce, whisk together and set aside.
When the meat is almost all the way done cooking add your sauce that you mixed together.
Let the meat finish cooking all the way through and let the sauce mostly absorb. It will smell heavenly and all your family will start to gather in the kitchen. (it's True!!)
To serve it, you put a scoop on a plate of both the rice and the meat. You then take a large pinch of rice and squoosh it into a ball sort of shape - and then you take your pseudo rice ball and smash it into the meat to make that yummy-ness stick to the rice. Then you pop it into your mouth.
I serve veggies that I think can be eaten with hands to keep the forks away from the table. We had raw carrot sticks and steamed green beans (not snipped).
We only had one somebody that resorted to a fork, and the leftovers where gone the next day.
