Larb

What makes it larb

• Khao khua, toasted ground sticky rice.
• Dressed with lime, fish sauce and dried chilli while the meat is still warm.
• Plenty of mint, shallot and spring onion.

Where it comes from

Larb belongs to Laos, where it's often called the national dish, and to Isan, Thailand's Lao-speaking north-east. It's eaten with sticky rice, pinched up by hand, alongside som tam and grilled chicken.

Khao khua — raw sticky rice toasted dry in a pan until golden, then pounded — gives it a nutty smell and a faint crunch, and is what makes larb taste of itself. The north has its own larb, darker and spiced with dried chilli and long pepper, with no lime at all.

How it varies

Larb gai

With chicken.

Larb moo

With pork, the commonest.

Larb mueang

The northern larb: dark with dried spices, and sometimes raw.