“Food is a central activity of mankind and one of the single most significant trademarks of a culture.”
Mark Kurlansky
Thai Chicken Mince, Broccoli & Pepper Salad … bursting with fresh, summery flavour, it’s good warm and chilled too. People often ask me if I cook? Obvious question I guess when you see the blogs name with posts to match! However, I do cook. Everyday, and most meals are home made. Loads of chicken with loads of fresh herbs … that’s our summer! Curries, salads, crispy filets, fajitas, quesadillas, fingers, sliders, wraps, burgers …The other day I saw a Thai Chicken Mince Salad drop into my inbox from Bee @ Rasa Malaysia. I didn’t get as far as seeing the recipe then, but the Lap Kai or Thai Chicken Mince Salad stayed in my head. One of those niggling things that you make you reach for pots and pans rather urgently.
I had everything on hand and a basic recipe in my head. It’s a really simple recipe, inspired by a recipe from the Simple Thai Food Cookbook by talented Leela at She Simmers. The salad came together in a matter of minutes. It’s a great gluten free, low carb option for summer. I returned later to check the recipe on Rasa Malaysia aa knew mine would be radically different! It was.This was my version of Larb Gai. It was different since Thai cooking uses a lot of galangal but my heart belongs to garlic. I also don’t like fish sauce so it doesn’t figure in my cooking. Larb Gai is often served with sticky rice, or roasted rice powder as in Leela’s recipe. I added some almond meal to soak up extra juices since that was what I had on hand!
The marriage of flavours and textures is nice. Sweet, spicy, fresh, exciting. Above all, easy to stir up. Don’t forget to add the roasted rice or almond meal… the nuttiness is addictive. Serve as soon as you stir it up … in crisp lettuce leaves or with a crisp salad on the side. The ‘now almost off to college teen‘ loved it cold too!
[print_this]Recipe: Thai Chicken Mince Salad |Larb Gai
Summary: The marriage of flavours and textures is nice. Sweet, spicy, fresh, exciting. Above all, easy to stir up, the Thai Chicken Mince, Broccoli & Pepper Salad is a great addition to the picnic basket, lunchbox or dinner table.
Prep Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Ingredients:
500g chicken mince from thigh tenders
1 onion, chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1tsp roasted red chili flakes
1-2 Thai red chilies, chopped, optional
30g cashew nuts, chopped
2 small bell peppers, red & yellow, chopped
1 small head broccoli, cut into florets and blanched for a minute.
1 large bunch fresh coriander, chopped
1 tbsp lemon grass, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp almond meal
Salt to taste
2 tbsp sesame oil {or vegetable oil}
Method:
Heat oil in a wok. Add the garlic, chili flakes, red chilies and cashew nuts and saute briefly until the garlic is light pink and releases flavour.
Toss in the chicken and half the fresh coriander. Season with salt. Stir fry over high heat, breaking up the chicken as required, until it begins to get light brown around the edges.
Now add the lemon grass, bell peppers and broccoli. Give it a good stir, and then add the almond meal, remaining fresh coriander and lime juice.
