Pork Larb Salad
I love a good salad for dinner. To me, it’s the ultimate bowl food. But i’s got to be tasty. None of this ‘bowl of rabbit tucker and that’s a salad’ for me. I like flavour and texture in my salads and this Pork Larb Salad hits it out of the park. It’s spicy, it’s crunchy, it’s packed full of flavour. In fact, it tastes amazing!
The dish packs a flavour punch – it’s boldness in a bowl. There’s plenty of chilli, lime and fish sauce along with the freshness of herbs. Add in onion, cabbage and carrot to give texture and more chilli to boost the heat and you are onto a winner. I love it! And it’s such a quick and easy dish to make, just perfect for midweek eating.
Ingredients
500-600g pork mince
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
1-2 limes, zest and juice
Chilli flakes, to taste (start with about half a teaspoon for a gentle chilli heat)
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
A good handful each of basil, coriander and mint
Dash of soy sauce
Sesame oil
Finely shredded wombok cabbage
Grated carrot
Red chilli, finely sliced
Instructions
1
Combine the pork mince, garlic, ginger, chilli flakes, zest of 1 lime and juice from one half along with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce in a bowl and mix well to combine. I like to use my hands for this step as I find it mixes all the flavours together the best. Set aside while you prep the remaining ingredients.
2
Roughly chop the herbs together and set aside with the onions. Place a small amount of cabbage and carrot into each serving bowl to form a base for the cooked mince mixture.
3
Heat a wok or frying pan to very hot. Season with a few drops of sesame oil then add the pork mixture. Cook, stirring often, until the pork I cooked through and fragrant. Make sure you are breaking up the pork as you go so you don’t end up with large clumps.
4
Turn off the heat then add in the onion, herbs, dash of soy sauce, remaining fish sauce and the juice from the other half of the lime. Taste and add more lime/soy/fish sauce if needed.
5
Divide the pork between the bowls, placing on top of the salad. Top with the sliced chilli and a wedge of lime.
