Larb Moo

This is a Thai pork salad recipe. It's light, easy and if you have kids they'll enjoy making a huge mess putting the lettuce-cups together! It reminds me a bit of the Chinese San Choy Bow, but the flavours are much cleaner.

You can use whichever mince you like. I used extra lean pork mince, I added some water and braised it for 10 minutes to soften the mince as the low fat content tends to make these things quite dry. If you use a premium mince you don't have to do this as the fat in the mince will keep the dish moist.

You will need...
1 Tbs peanut or sesame oil
500gr pork mince
1 Tbs lemongrass paste
2 cloves garlic
2cm knob of ginger, peeled, sliced
4 drops fish sauce
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp chinese barbecue sauce (my new favourite asian condiment!!!)
(2/3 cup of water if braising)
cracked black pepper
1 lime, juiced & zested
2 shallots, sliced finely
2 sprigs of coriander, washed and chopped
4 mint leaves, washed and chopped
1 lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced

1 fresh, long red chilli, deseeded and sliced

1 cup of bamboo shoots or waterchestnuts (optional)

sprinkle of fried noodles or crushed roasted peanuts for texture

1 butter lettuce, washed and leaves picked

Method...
1. Heat the oil in a frypan or wok and add the pork mince, breaking up with a wooden spoon until browned. Add the lemongrass, garlic and ginger and sweat for 1 minute, then add the following 6 ingredients and combine well.
2. If you are adding the water, leave to simmer for 10 minutes until meat is slightly softened and most of the liquid has evaporated. Mix the bamboo shoots or waterchestnuts if adding.
3. Prepare the lettuce on a platter with the sliced cucumber
4. Quickly add the shallots, chilli and herbs to the pork mix. Spoon the hot pork mix on the lettuce leaves and serve immediately with a sprinkle of crunchy noodles or nuts