What is laap?

[elephantspike]

Laap is meat chopped-up tiny almost into a pate-like consistency and served cold in a sweet-sour-hot marinade. It can be made with beef, pork, chicken, fish or shrimp. Obviously, raw shouldn't be an option for pork or chicken, but should be OK for fresh fish, or beef if it is from the tenderloin cut.

I just had a phone call from my favorite student. He went out with friends last night and ate "laap dip." That would be "raw, or uncooked, laap." Everyone around me said that was a big mistake, and, lo and behold, he had "thong sia" in a very bad way today.

There is also "laap sukh," or laap which has been cooked.

What is it?


Larb (Thai: ลาบ) or Laap or Larp or Laab is a type of Lao meat salad. It is most often made with chicken, beef, duck or pork, flavored with fish sauce and lime. Larb made with duck, turkey or fish is also popular. The meat can be either raw or cooked; it is minced and mixed with chilli, mint and, optionally, assorted vegetables. Roughly ground toasted rice (kao kua) is also a very important component of the dish. The dish is served at room temperature and usually with a serving of sticky rice. A common variation is neu-ah nam tok ("waterfall beef"), in which beef is cut into thin strips instead of using ground beef.


Larb is the unofficial national dish of Laos and is also very popular in Thailand. It is quite common to see this popular Lao meat salad served at Thai restaurants.

There is also a variant from Northern Thailand which does not use lime or fish sauce, but rather other local condiments for flavor and seasoning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larb

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground meat (fish, chicken or tofu works best for this recipe)
1 head of garlic, minced
1/4 cup fish sauce
soybean or other oil for frying
2 tablespoons pickled garlic vinegar*
1/2 cup rice grains
2 large eggplants or 5-6 eggplants of any long, thin Asian variety
4-5 pickled garlic cloves
1 large red onion or several shallots
1 bunch of fresh mint (youтАЩll never have too much!)
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 bunch fresh dill
1 bunch fresh green onions
hot red chilies, according to taste
juice of two large fresh limes or five small limes
1 bunch leaf lettuce
3 tablespoons sesame oil


http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/weblogs/upload/44/8865981124640e8d086483.jpg

http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/weblogs/upload/44/20410566674640e8fa4bafd.jpg

Anyone know if laap, lahp, larb with pork is the same as Nam Tok Moo. I had this several times on my last trip to Pattaya but only at one restaurant, the others didn't seem to know what I was talking about. If laap Moo is the same I'll know in future.

It was served as a cold (room temp) dish, like a salad. Minced pork, chilli, basil, mint, onion (can't remember if it had a little roasted rice or not). Also, not sure if the pork was cooked (I assumed it was), it was very juicy meat and scrummy.

Anyone know if laap, lahp, larb with pork is the same as Nam Tok Moo. I had this several times on my last trip to Pattaya but only at one restaurant, the others didn't seem to know what I was talking about. If laap Moo is the same I'll know in future.

It was served as a cold (room temp) dish, like a salad. Minced pork, chilli, basil, mint, onion (can't remember if it had a little roasted rice or not). Also, not sure if the pork was cooked (I assumed it was), it was very juicy meat and scrummy.

Lab and nam tok are virtually the same, the only difference usually being that nam tok is made using slices of pork rather than minced pork.

you guys must have strong constitutions! that would have me confined to barracks for a few days im sure!

Wuss. Stick to sweet and sour pork.

[francois]

As as result of this post I saw LARB on a menu in a restaurant in the US so I tried it. Cooked minced pork and very spicy but quite good. The rest of the food was not only dreadful it was inedible! When I told the management that I knew Thai food and this was not Thai food they were shocked.

As as result of this post I saw LARB on a menu in a restaurant in the US so I tried it. Cooked minced pork and very spicy but quite good. The rest of the food was not only dreadful it was inedible! When I told the management that I knew Thai food and this was not Thai food they were shocked.

You "know Thai food" but you'd never heard of larb until you read about it here?

[francois]

This is true. I never recall seeing "Larb" on a menu, but then my bf does most of the ordering at Thai restaurants when I am in Thailand. I have eaten larb in Thailand but did not know it by that name, only as a spicy, minced pork salad served cold. Guess I am not a food geenyus.

[elephantspike]

It's funny about that. When I lived in Ft Lauderdale, it struck me that many of the Thai restaurants were run by Malaysians, while many of the Japanese places were run by Thais. I liked most of those places, though.

Guess I am not a food geenyus.

I wouldn't worry about that francois, I would say that in all probability, neither is he. http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u152/GeorgeThai/biglaugh.gif


G.

[sjaak327]

It's funny about that. When I lived in Ft Lauderdale, it struck me that many of the Thai restaurants were run by Malaysians, while many of the Japanese places were run by Thais. I liked most of those places, though.

And that can be a complete disaster, back at KL I went to the worst Thai restaurant I can remember, ran by Malaysians. Crap food really.

Anyway Laap is a nice dish, so is nam tok. Of course they cannot come close to Som Tam which for me is the number one in the Lao kitchen. And not with sugar as in the Thai version but with Padek.

"Anyway Laap is a nice dish, so is nam tok. Of course they cannot come close to Som Tam which for me is the number one in the Lao kitchen"

Som Tam, my word you do have a strong constitution. I was proud of myself when I started sprinkling naam pla with little cut up chillies on some of my food because it wasn't spicy enough, but Som Tam is something completely different. I remember my friend loved it and ate it everyday except for one little meal he had from a street walker (guy with wheelie stall) in Boystown. It nearly blew his head off and he was gasping and sweating for 30 minutes after (he still finished it off). Only tried it once and downed almost a pint of water after a mouthful.

Good onya!

"Anyway Laap is a nice dish, so is nam tok. Of course they cannot come close to Som Tam which for me is the number one in the Lao kitchen"

Som Tam, my word you do have a strong constitution. I was proud of myself when I started sprinkling naam pla with little cut up chillies on some of my food because it wasn't spicy enough, but Som Tam is something completely different. I remember my friend loved it and ate it everyday except for one little meal he had from a street walker (guy with wheelie stall) in Boystown. It nearly blew his head off and he was gasping and sweating for 30 minutes after (he still finished it off). Only tried it once and downed almost a pint of water after a mouthful.

Good onya!

Somtam doesn't have to be blisteringly hot. They make it to order, usually asking how spicy you want it. I know lots of Thais who like it "phet noi".

[sjaak327]

"Anyway Laap is a nice dish, so is nam tok. Of course they cannot come close to Som Tam which for me is the number one in the Lao kitchen"

Som Tam, my word you do have a strong constitution. I was proud of myself when I started sprinkling naam pla with little cut up chillies on some of my food because it wasn't spicy enough, but Som Tam is something completely different. I remember my friend loved it and ate it everyday except for one little meal he had from a street walker (guy with wheelie stall) in Boystown. It nearly blew his head off and he was gasping and sweating for 30 minutes after (he still finished it off). Only tried it once and downed almost a pint of water after a mouthful.

Good onya!

Somtam doesn't have to be blisteringly hot. They make it to order, usually asking how spicy you want it. I know lots of Thais who like it "phet noi".

Correct, even though I do like it spicy (phet phet), I'm used to it and find it great to eat, I usually eat more spicy then my Lao boyfriend, I'm just kind of addicted to the chillies, of course the Thai Som Tam is usally not made with Padek, and sometimes contains large quantities of sugar, the Som Tam Lao variety is the "real" somtam in my book, and is spicier then the Som Tam Thai variety and does contain Padek, which indeed is rotten river fish, eating padek might lead to stomach problems though, especially if it's not cooked, some thai people I know, frequently have this problem :) I have yet to get the runs from it though.