Northern Thai Pork Laab (Laab Kua)
ID: 13b7d4ce...
Laab Kua is a highly aromatic Northern Thai minced meat dish packed with a rich, unique blend of toasted dried spices and fresh herbs, distinct from the more common lime-and-mint-heavy Isaan laab.
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🍳 Cooking Flow
Toast and grind the spices and dried chilies separately to make the Prik Laab spice blend. → Mix the spice blend, chili flakes, water, and fish sauce, then thoroughly knead it into the ground pork and liver. → Make crispy fried garlic and garlic oil, then sauté shallots, lemongrass, and galangal in the wok with the garlic oil. → Stir-fry the pork mixture, constantly breaking up lumps to keep the mince very fine. → Stir in fresh herbs off the heat, plate, garnish with fried garlic and mint, and serve with sticky rice.
Cooking Steps
Brief Cooking Order
Toast and grind the spices and dried chilies separately to make the Prik Laab spice blend. → Mix the spice blend, chili flakes, water, and fish sauce, then thoroughly knead it into the ground pork and liver. → Make crispy fried garlic and garlic oil, then sauté shallots, lemongrass, and galangal in the wok with the garlic oil. → Stir-fry the pork mixture, constantly breaking up lumps to keep the mince very fine. → Stir in fresh herbs off the heat, plate, garnish with fried garlic and mint, and serve with sticky rice.
Introduction
Laab Kua is a highly aromatic Northern Thai minced meat dish packed with a rich, unique blend of toasted dried spices and fresh herbs, distinct from the more common lime-and-mint-heavy Isaan laab.
Step 1
Toast cumin seeds separately in a small saucepan over medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant, darkened slightly, and popping. Remove from pan.
Step 2
Toast the rest of the whole dry spices (coriander seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, fennel seeds, cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, star anise, cardamom, black pepper, long pepper) together until the coriander and fennel seeds darken and pop.
Step 3
Transfer all toasted spices into a spice grinder and grind into a very fine powder (Prik Laab).
Step 4
Toast the dried chilies separately in the pan, then grind them in a spice grinder to make chili flakes. Keep separate to easily adjust the heat.
Step 5
In a mixing bowl, combine 1-2 tablespoons of the spice blend, ground chili flakes, water, and fish sauce. Stir together.
Ingredients List
Important Notes
Kneading the spices and liquid into the raw pork before cooking is essential for deep flavor integration.
Traditional Northern Thai laab uses a local spice called Makhwaen; Sichuan peppercorns are used here as an easily accessible substitute.
The texture of Northern laab should be very fine and dry-ish; do not let it become too wet or chunky.
Always serve this dish with sticky rice rather than jasmine rice for the correct authentic pairing.
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