Larb

Larb is widely regarded as the national dish of Laos, and it is equally central to the food of Isan, the northeastern region of Thailand whose population shares deep cultural and linguistic ties with Laos.

The word is associated with good fortune in Lao, and the dish carries celebratory associations, appearing at festivals and important occasions as well as everyday meals.

It has spread far beyond both, largely via Thai restaurants abroad, where it is often the most assertively seasoned item on the menu.

The defining ingredient is khao khua: raw sticky rice toasted in a dry pan until deep golden and nutty, then ground to a coarse powder. It thickens the dressing slightly and adds an unmistakable toasted aroma and gritty texture.

Minced meat — chicken, pork, beef, duck or fish — is cooked briefly in a little water or stock rather than fried in oil, so it stays moist and the liquid becomes part of the dressing.

The seasoning is lime juice, fish sauce and dried chilli in aggressive proportions. The result should be sour first, salty second and hot throughout, with no sweetness; sugar is generally absent, which distinguishes it from central Thai cooking.

Off the heat, the mixture is tossed with a large volume of fresh herbs and aromatics: sliced shallot, spring onion, coriander and especially mint, which is not a garnish but a major component.

It is served warm or at room temperature, never hot, and always with sticky rice, which is rolled into a ball by hand and used to pick up the meat.

Raw vegetables accompany it — cabbage wedges, long beans, cucumber — both to cool the palate and to scoop. A Lao or Isan meal will typically set larb alongside a papaya salad and grilled meat, shared among everyone.