Thai Pork Larb (Larb Moo) is a minced pork salad dressed with lime juice, fish sauce, dried chilli, and fresh herbs — cooked in about 25 minutes with no special equipment. It costs very little to make, and most of the ingredients are already in a well-stocked pantry.
The technique that matters
Dry-frying the pork — no oil in the pan — is the one step that shapes the whole dish. Use a non-stick or cast-iron pan on medium-high heat and keep stirring; the pork needs to cook through to 160°F (71°C) with no pink remaining. What you’re after is meat that’s cooked but still moist, not browned and crumbly. If the pork releases a lot of liquid, don’t drain it immediately — let it cook off so the flavour stays in the pan. The ground rice topping follows the same logic: dry heat, constant attention, pulled off before it burns. Bitter toasted rice ruins the dish and there’s no fixing it after the fact.
Shopping notes
- Fish sauce: The backbone of the dressing. If you don’t have it, soy sauce works as a straight swap — use the same quantity, then add a small squeeze of extra lime to compensate for the missing brightness. The result won’t be identical, but it’s close enough.
- Dried chillies: Any dried red chilli you can grind will do — chilli flakes or even a pinch of cayenne are fine substitutes. Start small; you can always add more at the tasting stage.
- Cilantro: If you’re out, flat-leaf parsley adds fresh green flavour without the same punch. It’s not traditional, but it works.
- White rice for the topping: Any plain white rice — jasmine, long-grain, basmati — toasts and grinds the same way. Skip the ground rice topping altogether if you don’t have a grinder; the dish is complete without it.
- Green onions: A small amount of finely diced white or brown onion is a perfectly good stand-in.
Leftovers and meal prep
Cooked larb keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The flavours actually sharpen overnight, so it’s a solid make-ahead option. Reheat gently in a pan over low heat with a splash of water to loosen it — microwaving works too, just stop before it dries out. For freezing, portion the cooked pork before adding the fresh herbs and lime juice, freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge and add the fresh elements when you’re ready to serve. Don’t freeze it fully dressed; the herbs go slimy and the lime turns flat.
What can go wrong
- The dressing is too salty with no way back: Fish sauce is very salty and easy to over-pour. Add it in two stages — two tablespoons first, taste after mixing, then add the third only if it needs it. Extra lime juice can balance mild over-salting.
- The pork clumps into large chunks: Ground pork sticks together if you leave it alone too long. Break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula from the moment it hits the pan and keep moving it throughout cooking.
- The dish tastes flat: Larb needs the acid-salt-heat balance to land correctly. If it tastes dull, the lime is almost always the missing piece — add more juice a little at a time until it brightens up.
- The ground rice is bitter: It went too dark in the pan. There’s no rescue — discard it and start again with fresh rice, this time on medium rather than high heat. Pale golden, not brown, is the target colour. Skip the garnish if you burn the first batch; it’s not worth the extra dish.
- The herbs wilt before serving: Larb is dressed and served warm, not hot, for a reason. If the pork is still steaming when you add the cilantro and green onions, wait two minutes before mixing — the herbs stay fresher and the lime doesn’t cook off.
Thai Pork Larb (Larb Moo) – Quick & Authentic
Equipment
Ingredients
1.1 lb ground pork (minced pork) - lean ; minced pork, about 500g
1 medium lime - juiced, approximately 2 tablespoons / 30ml- 1-2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes - or 2 dried red chillies, ground to a powder
3 tablespoons fish sauce
½ cup cilantro (coriander) - fresh ; roughly chopped, about 15g (also called coriander)
3-4 green onions - thinly sliced (scallions)
1 tablespoon jasmine rice - uncooked ; to be toasted and ground
mint - fresh mint leaves ; optional, for serving- jasmine rice - steamed ; for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork mince (no oil) and cook for 6-8 minutes, breaking it up with a spatula and stirring constantly, until cooked through to 160°F / 71°C with no pink remaining. If the pork releases liquid, let it cook off rather than draining — the flavour stays in the pan.1.1 lb ground pork (minced pork)
- For the toasted rice powder, add 1 tablespoon of uncooked jasmine rice to a small dry pan over medium heat. Stir constantly for 3-5 minutes until the grains turn deep golden brown — pull it off the heat the moment you smell a nutty aroma, as it will burn quickly. Let the rice cool completely, then grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.1 tablespoon jasmine rice
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, ground chilli, sliced green onions, and chopped cilantro. Add the cooked pork while it is still warm and toss everything together thoroughly. Taste and adjust — add more chilli for heat, lime juice for sourness, or fish sauce for salt until the balance is right.1.1 lb ground pork (minced pork), 1 medium lime, 1-2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes, 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 1/2 cup cilantro (coriander), 3-4 green onions, mint
- Sprinkle the toasted rice powder over the top and serve at warm room temperature — larb is traditionally served lukewarm, not hot. Serve alongside steamed jasmine rice and fresh raw vegetables such as cucumber slices, cabbage wedges, and long beans.1 tablespoon jasmine rice, jasmine rice
Notes
Nutrition
Your questions, answered
Can I use regular pork mince from the supermarket instead of lean mince?
Yes, standard ground pork works fine. It will release more fat during dry-frying, so tilt the pan and spoon off the excess fat once the pork is cooked through to 160°F (71°C) — too much fat in the pan makes the dressing greasy and throws off the lime-fish sauce balance.
Do I have to use fish sauce, or can I leave it out entirely?
You need something salty and savoury — fish sauce is the easiest option, but soy sauce is a workable substitute at the same quantity. Leaving it out entirely makes the dish taste thin and unfinished, so some replacement is worth it.
Is the toasted ground rice actually necessary?
No — the recipe flags it as optional and that’s accurate. It adds a nutty texture contrast, but the dish is fully flavoured without it. If you don’t have a grinder or don’t want the extra step, skip it.
Can I make this ahead for a dinner party?
Cook the pork and make the dressing separately up to a day ahead, then combine and add fresh herbs just before serving. Mixing everything too far in advance makes the herbs go limp and the lime loses its sharpness.
What can I serve with this if I don’t have sticky rice or jasmine rice?
Any plain cooked rice works — basmati, long-grain, even microwaveable pouches. Flatbreads or lettuce leaves are also practical options if you have no rice at all, since the larb itself is the main event.
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- Savory Pork Noodle Stir-Fry
- Authentic Szechuan Dan Dan
- Japanese Pork Lettuce Cups
- Quick Lamb Coconut Rendang
