Northern Laab (Laab Kuaw)
Liver laab w/ diced pork belly, intestines, and heart
You’re probably familiar with larb or laab (actually pronounced laab; without the R), a minced meat salad with fresh herbs, lime, chilies, and toasted rice powder. This style of laab is from the Isaan (ee-san) or eastern region of Thailand. There is a lesser known laab style from the north that is completely different from what most are used to outside of Thailand.
Unlike laab isaan which is served room temperature, northern-style laab kuaw (laab nuer) is a hot laab dish made of minced meat that has been marinated in a mixture of dried chilies, mahkwan (Thai star anise), mahleep (long pepper), lemongrass, and a touch of raw blood (check out my Lanna 101 article to learn more about northern Thai food). The most common is ground pork but you can also find it made with water buffalo and beef. At home, we add stewed pork skin and pork offal for additional texture. When we’re feeling a bit unconventional, we’ll add a splash of lime juice for an added tang.
The raw mixture is stir-fried in oil with garlic and then topped with vietnamese cilantro (ram rau), culantro (sawtooth coriander), cilantro, and mint. It’s served with crispy garlic, fresh cabbage, and more herbs. And of course eaten with hot sticky rice and crunchy pork rinds.
From street vendor
Homemade w/ pork skin and extra herbs
The marinated meat mixture can also be eaten raw like a tartare; this is called laab luu. I’ve only had the raw version once. It’s not for the faint of heart as it is raw meat that is mixed with raw blood; the chances of getting ill are quite high for westerners. In the states, we make this dish at home using sashimi-grade fish like hamachi, tuna or we use raw beef but we omit the blood (for safety).
The combination of flavors in this dish work well with all types of proteins including vegan-friendly options like tofu, soy meat, or mushrooms. I’ve been working on a black lentil or bean version for my future pop-up!
Catfish Laab
Homemade in SF w/ crispy rice crackers
