Pork Larb

This recipe was part of a large and tasty meal I made for my mother's birthday.  We had decided on a Thai themed dinner and I love pork larb whenever I get it in restaurants so me creating this dish myself was long over due.  While I did not create this recipe myself it is a very good one, and for the original recipe and instructions on how to make rice powder click this link.  The first time I had larb my friend who now lives in Thailand made it for me with tofu and spices that she brought back from Thailand which were extra spicy, and from that day on I became obsessed with the dish.  I accompanied this dish with Tom Kha soup, veggie spring rolls, and chicken satay with peanut sauce...the meal was epic.  Speaking of epic I have a good feeling that this weekend will be just that; I'm headed to the Oregon coast with a bunch of lovely people and we all like to cook, so I will definitely come back with several new recipes to post.

Serves 5 (as a side dish)

The Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted rice powder
3 limes, juiced
1 bunch of green onions, green and white parts separated, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon sriracha
1/4 tablespoon ground chili flakes
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 cup mint, finely chopped
16 oz ground pork
green cabbage leaves


The Process
1.  Combine the juice of 1 lime with ground pork, toss well and let sit for a couple minutes.

2.  In the meantime heat a skillet or wok on stove over high heat.  Then add 2 tablespoons of water to the skillet when hot and add in pork and the white part of the green onions.  Cook pork until it is done but not browned and then put the pork mixture in a bowl and set aside.

3.  In a separate bowl combine the rest of the lime juice, toasted rice powder, green part of green onions, shallot, sriracha, ground chili, fish sauce, black pepper, cilantro, and mint.  Then add pork to this bowl and mix everything thoroughly.

4.  To serve break cabbage leaves in half and scoop a generous amount of pork mixture onto each cabbage leaf and serve while still warm.