Laotian or Thai Larb is a kind of salad, typically made with minced meat which is full of flavors and textures from a combination of fish sauce, chili flakes, fresh lime juice, toasted sticky rice and freshness from the assorted herbs.
This Laotian inspired vegetarian recipe has the usual deep flavors with added fresh lemongrass and kaffir leaves for an extra punch.
Main Ingredients
The key ingredient that yields an irresistible aroma is roasted rice powder. This ingredient is available at most Asian supermarkets but it makes a world of difference if you make it fresh at home, and it could be made ahead of time.
In a medium hot frying pan, heat 1 cup of uncooked glutinous rice. The rice should be spread out in a single layer for even cooking. When it starts yielding an aroma, stir the rice to roast all sides evenly. The whole cooking time should take around 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat, but make sure to carefully monitor to avoid burning. When the rice grains turn golden brown (but not too dark), remove from heat into a bowl and let cool. When complete cool, you can crush the grains into powder with a mortar and pestle, or with a spice grinder or Magic Bullet. For this recipe you will only need 1/4 cup of roast rice powder. Put the rest in a closed jar and it should keep for a month. There are many recipes using roast rice powder, for example over grilled meats or in dipping sauce.
To add another layer of crunchy texture, I like to sprinkle on top of the larb, toasted pine nuts. In the same frying pan, toast the nuts till golden and set aside.
The other main aromatic is lemongrass. This could be found frozen in most Asian stores. Some supermarkets also sell fresh lemongrass. These beautiful lemongrass are home-grown by my DIL. Use only the tender part, around 1/3 of the stalk, near the root.
Roughly slice the lemongrass and finely chop them, manually or with a grinder or Magic Bullet.
The main ingredient for the Vegetarian Larb is tofu. To achieve the best texture, get the pressed baked hard tofu found in most supermarkets refrigerated area. This is an example of pressed hard tofu, you could use any brand.
The beauty of this Vegetarian Larb recipe is that you can use any other vegetables in addition to the above key ingredients. This recipe includes shiitake mushrooms, red peppers, leeks (or shallots) and edamame. You can substitute with other vegetables such as corn, diced water chestnut, celery and carrots etc.
The Sauce
In the regular larb recipe, the dressing is made with fish sauce, fresh lime juice and palm sugar. For the vegetarian version, I’m using vegetarian fish sauce, fresh lime, soy sauce or Golden Mountain sauce, and palm sugar. If you can’t find Vegetarian Fish Sauce or Golden Mountain sauce, use regular soy sauce. But most important is to use freshly squeezed lime juice.
The Garnish
A good larb is served with fresh herbs, it could be mint, basil, coriander or other herbs. These beautiful herbs are also home grown.
Once you get all the ingredients ready, it’s a breeze to cook and pull everything together for a really delicious vegetarian meal.
Vegetarian Laotian Larb
Ingredients
- 2 cup diced pressed baked tofu
- 1 cup diced leeks or 1/2 cup diced shallots (omit if preparing this dish for strict Buddhist diet)
- 1/2 cup diced lemongrass
- 1 cup diced red pepper
- 1 cup diced shitake mushrooms
- 1 cup edamame (available frozen – microwave according to package instructions)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup toasted glutinous rice powder
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Garnish
- 1 cup assorted fresh herbs (Basil, mint, coriander)
- 4 cups cooked sticky rice
Dressing
- 1/3 cup Vegetarian Fish Sauce or Soy Sauce
- 3 tbsp Golden Mountain Sauce or Soy Sauce
- 1/3 cup Palm sugar
- 1/2 cup Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 tbsp dry chili powder
Instructions
- Prepare the diced ingredients, set aside, ready to stir fry. Wash the fresh herbs
- Prepare the roasted rice powder and toast the pine nuts and set aside.
- Cook the sticky rice
- In a bowl or measuring cup, mix the vegetarian fish sauce with the palm sugar till fully blended (you can put the vegetarian fish sauce in a micro-wave safe measuring cup with the palm sugar and heat on high for 60 to 90 seconds, stir well). Add the freshly squeezed lime juice. Taste and adjust according to your taste. It should taste salty, sweet, sour and spicy.
- In large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoon vegetable oil, add the chopped leeks or shallots, add the minced lemongrass, stir fry for couple of minutes, add the diced mushrooms and red pepper, stir fry for another couple of minutes, add the diced tofu and 3 tablespoons of Golden Mountain sauce or soy sauce. Stir fry till heated through, around 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the edamame (cooked according to package instructions).
- Add the dressing, mix well. Add the fresh herbs (saving some for garnish). Add the roasted rice powder, mix well. Sprinkle pine nuts and fresh herbs on top. Serve immediately with sticky rice.
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[…] For more vegetarian dishes, please check my Laotian larb recipe. […]