You could call this chicken salad Thai-style, but whatever you call it—you’ll see larb, larp, laarb, and other variations on menus—this is a quick, delicious, appetite-rousing starter. Teaming it with any of the more substantial Thai dishes in this book and some rice makes for an impressive meal. (If you need information on nam pla, see page 500.) Most laarb served in this country is made from chicken, and certainly that’s good and easy. But laarb is even more delicious made with pork shoulder or beef tenderloin. In any case, this is one place where you should mince the meat together with the garlic by hand; food-processed meat is just a little too mushy here. The process shouldn’t take more than five minutes, though, so don’t be put off.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, pork shoulder, or beef tenderloin

　　1 garlic clove, peeled

　　2 tablespoons corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste

　　1 tablespoon nam pla, or to taste (see page 500)

　　Pinch of cayenne, or to taste

　　Juice of 1/2 lime, or to taste

　　1 cup loosely packed mixed herbs, like cilantro, basil, mint, or Thai basil

　　1 shallot, sliced

　　1 small fresh chile, such as Thai or serrano, stemmed, seeded, and sliced, optional (use it only if you like your food very spicy)

　　About 12 outer leaves of cabbage or iceberg lettuce

　　2 tablespoons Khao Koor: Ground and Toasted Rice (page 587), optional

　　Lime wedges for garnish

　　

Step 1

Mince the chicken and garlic together with a sharp knife or cleaver.

　　

Step 2

Coat the bottom of a medium skillet or wok with the oil and turn the heat to medium-high. When a wisp of smoke appears, add the minced chicken and garlic. Season immediately with pinches of salt, pepper, and sugar and cook, stirring infrequently, until the meat browns a bit, 3 or 4 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Transfer the meat to a medium salad bowl and toss it with the nam pla, cayenne, and lime juice. Let the mixture sit for 30 seconds, then taste and adjust the seasonings. Stir in the herbs, shallot, and chile if you’re using it.

　　

Step 4

Tear or cut the cabbage or lettuce leaves into roughly two-bite-sized pieces (2 inches by 1 inch or slightly larger) and arrange them on a large plate or platter like little serving bowls. Spoon a little of the chicken-herb mixture into each of them, sprinkle the ground and toasted rice over all if you like, and garnish with the lime wedges. Serve within a couple hours, before the herbs start to wilt.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.