Laab is a Thai minced pork salad built on layers of spice—five-spice powder, cardamom, coriander—bound with fish sauce and fresh mint, cilantro, and scallions. It's served at room temperature with a garnish of raw vegetables and aromatic herbs, making it both warm and cooling in the same bite.
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Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chiles, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add pork, chile flakes, five-spice, nutmeg, salt, pepper, coriander, and cardamom, and cook, stirring, until pork is browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in mint, scallions, cilantro, and fish sauce, and cook until pork is done, about 4 minutes.
Transfer to a large serving bowl, and top with scallions, cilantro, kaffir leaves, lemongrass, shallots, mint, cilantro, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Serve at room temperature.
Store cooled laab in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat gently over medium heat or serve cold; add fresh garnishes just before serving.
Cook the pork mixture up to 2 days ahead and store it covered in the refrigerator. Add fresh garnishes (mint, cilantro, scallions, and raw vegetables) just before serving to keep them crisp.
Use soy sauce or tamari in equal measure, though you'll lose some of the distinctive umami funk. Soy sauce is the closest replacement.
Yes. Ground chicken will cook slightly faster (watch for doneness around 3–4 minutes); beef works equally well at the same timing.
Fish sauce is essential—don't skip it or reduce it. Taste and adjust salt and fish sauce to preference after cooking. Fresh herbs must be added at the end for maximum flavor.
They add authentic citrus aromatics, but you can omit them or substitute a small amount of lime zest if you can't find them fresh.
