Laotian Larb (pronounced “lawp”) is a stir-fry dish with a funny name that is the unofficial national dish of Laos. Larb has become popular in Thailand and surrounding countries such as Burma and Southern China. Typically made with a minced meat such as pork, chicken, beef, or fish, duck, or even diced mushrooms, Larb is an easy, flavorful meal that you’ll want to add to your weeknight rotation.

Larb is technically a salad (a meal with small pieces), but made mostly with meat! It gets its wonderful flavor from fresh herbs, shallots, fish sauce, lime juice, a few spices and most importantly, the unique ingredient of toasted rice. Toasted rice adds a nutty flavor and is made from sticky rice that is dry-roasted in a wok, then typically pounded in a mortar until it’s a rough powder. Our Laotian Larb spice saves you all that time and effort and we mix in a few spices to enhance the flavors found in all traditional Larb recipes.

What’s great about Larb, just with any salad, is that you can easily customize it to make your own. Make a vegan Laotian Larb by subbing in diced mushrooms. Or make a fish Larb. Don’t like cilantro? Sub in basil. We love to serve larb with lettuce leaves and extra herbs to make lettuce cups or wraps.