Grilled Larb Gai – Thai Chicken and Herb Salad

Larb (sometimes spelled laab) is a salad you'll find on the menu of every Thai restaurant worth its salt – and once you've made it at home on the grill, you'll wonder why you ever ordered it out. This isn't a vegetable salad with a bit of chicken on top; it's a proper meat salad, punchy with lime juice, fish sauce, fresh chillies and handfuls of fragrant herbs. Cooking the chicken on the gas grill gives it a lovely char that you just don't get from a frying pan, and the smoky edge plays beautifully against all that brightness.

Ingredients

• 500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, plus more to taste
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 2–3 fresh red chillies, finely sliced (adjust to taste)
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 small shallot, finely sliced
• Large handful of fresh mint leaves
• Large handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp toasted rice powder (see method)
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil, for grilling
• Crispy gem lettuce leaves, to serve
• Steamed jasmine rice, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Make your toasted rice powder: Place 3 tbsp of uncooked jasmine rice in a dry frying pan over a medium heat on your hob. Toast, stirring constantly, for 8–10 minutes until golden and nutty-smelling. Leave to cool, then blitz in a spice grinder or bash in a pestle and mortar to a coarse powder. Set aside.
2. Preheat your gas grill to a high heat – around 230–240°C. Brush the grates clean and oil them lightly.
3. Brush the chicken pieces with rapeseed oil and season lightly with salt. Grill over direct heat for 5–6 minutes per side until nicely charred and cooked through. The chicken must reach an internal temperature of 75°C at the thickest part – use a meat thermometer to check. Rest for 5 minutes under loose foil.
4. While the chicken rests, whisk together the fish sauce, lime juice and caster sugar in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves. Taste – it should be salty, sour and very slightly sweet.
5. Finely chop or mince the rested chicken (or pulse briefly in a food processor for a more traditional texture). Add to the dressing bowl immediately.
6. Add the sliced chillies, spring onions, shallot, mint, coriander and toasted rice powder. Toss everything together well.
7. Taste and adjust – more fish sauce for saltiness, more lime for sharpness. The dressing should be bold.
8. Serve immediately in crispy lettuce cups, with steamed jasmine rice alongside if you like.

Originally published by Bull BBQ. Adapted for UK audiences by Cedar Kitchen in the Garden.