Larb (Spiced Meat & Lettuce Roll-ups)
This is a contemporary version of larb, a dish that has deep roots in Hmong culture. Think of it as a main-course salad that you can eat with your fingers.
Ingredients
2 pounds ground round beef or lean ground pork
⅓ cup uncooked cream of rice cereal
⅔ cup thinly sliced green onions
⅔ cup finely chopped fresh mint
Juice of 3 limes
1.5 tsp. red pepper flakes, (or to taste)
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 tsp. salt, (or to taste)
Accompaniments:
Butterhead lettuce leaves
Any of the following: thin-sliced cabbage, green onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, mint, radishes, tomatoes, whole leaves of cilantro, basil, dill, etc.
Hmong Chili Sauce
Directions
Place ground meat in pot with enough cold water to barely cover it. Bring to simmer and cook gently until no pink shows in the meat. (Alternatively, you may fry the meat). Drain and let cool. Place rice cereal in heavy, preferably cast iron, skillet. Heat over medium flame, tossing occasionally, until grains are lightly browned. Combine meat, rice grains, green onions, mint, lime juice, red pepper flakes, cilantro and salt.
To serve, mound meat mixture on lettuce leaves on a large platter. Serve with another platter that includes more lettuce leaves and a variety of accompaniments from the list above. Diners make roll-ups with the lettuce, meat and accompaniments of their choice, and adding chili sauce to taste. Serve with sweet rice or long grain white rice.
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