Nice and spicy Thai minced chicken salad (Larb Gai)
Ingredients
- 1 tbspsunflower oil
- 2 large, boneless, skinlesschicken breasts (about 225g/8oz each), minced up in a food processor
- flaked seasalt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbspfish sauce
- 1lime, juice only
- 1 tsp caster, granulated or soft lightbrown sugar
- 3spring onions, finely chopped
- ¼cucumber, finely diced
- 1-2 redchillies, finely sliced, seeds removed for less heat if preferred
- 1cm/½in piece fresh rootginger, peeled and finely chopped
- ½ bunchcoriander, leaves and stalks roughly chopped (about 2 tbsp)
- ½ bunchmint, leaves only, ripped
- 1 handful salted (but not dry roasted)peanuts (about 50g/1¾oz)
- 12 largish crispiceberg lettuce leaves (cup-shaped are best)
Preparation method
- Drizzle the oil into a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the minced chicken with salt and pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly and breaking it up as you do so, until it turns from pink to white. Cut a piece open to check it is cooked and then tip the chicken into a colander set over a bowl. Leave to cool for five minutes (so it doesn’t cause the herbs to wilt) while also allowing any excess liquid to drain off, if necessary.
- Pour the fish sauce and lime juice into a large bowl and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Add the spring onions, cucumber, red chilli, ginger, coriander, all but a small handful of the mint leaves and the peanuts and stir together well. Tip the chicken in and toss it through. Taste it and check to see if it needs a little bit more of anything to get it just to your liking.
- Arrange three lettuce leaves on each of four serving plates and place a couple of spoonfuls of the mixture into each one. Scatter the remaining mint leaves over to garnish and serve. The best way to eat these is to simply just pick a cup up with your hands and bite in.
