laab makes the world go round

Are you looking for a quick, healthy and intensely flavourful meal that you can easily prepare during the week? Well, we've been making Laab, a spicy thai dish, nearly every week for the past several months.

Laab (sometimes called Larb), is a hot and sour "salad" from Thailand. It is simply a combination of ground meat (chicken or pork), and a salty (fish sauce), sour (lemon or lime juice) and spicy (chili sauce or sriracha) flavor profile. We've found that the best flavours come from a perfect balance of sweet, sour, salty and spicy.

Mexico has its tacos, the Chinese have Mabo Dofu (ground meat with tofu and chili peppers), the Italians have their bolognese sauce, and laab is Thailand's most popular ground meat dish. But what sets it apart is that you can pair larb with rice for a heartier meal or serve it on a bed of lettuce for lighter fare.

I have a sneaking suspicion that each time Dina makes this dish she makes it more spicy just to see how much I can handle. Tonight, I'll have nightmares.

Ingredients

1/2 lb ground chicken (or pork)
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 tsp ginger (grated)
2 tbsp chili sauce (to taste)
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
2 tsp parsley (chopped)
2 tsp mint (chopped)
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 small onion (finely diced)

Cook the ground meat in a dry pan on medium heat. When meat is fully cooked, add garlic and ginger and cook for a few minutes. Add chili sauce, fish sauce and lemon/lime juice and mix thoroughly. If too much liquid evaporates, add some chicken broth. Shut off heat and add chopped parsley, mint and onion. Serve on bed of rice or lettuce leaves and enjoy!