Recipe
Turkey Laab
A bright, punchy turkey laab with lime, fish sauce, chilli and fresh herbs, ready in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Method
15 mins prep15 mins cook30 mins total
Make the toasted rice powder first. Put the uncooked jasmine rice in a dry frying pan over a medium heat and toast for 4-6 minutes, shaking often, until deep golden and nutty. Cool slightly, then grind to a coarse powder.
Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the turkey mince and cook for 6-8 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon, until no pink remains and any liquid has mostly evaporated.
Add the shallot, garlic and chilli. Cook for 2 minutes more, just until the shallot softens and the garlic smells fragrant.
Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar, then add most of the toasted rice powder. Taste and adjust with more lime, fish sauce or chilli until it is sharp, savoury and lively.
Fold through the spring onions, mint and coriander while the turkey is still warm, keeping a little herb back for serving.
Spoon into lettuce leaves and finish with the remaining toasted rice powder and herbs. Serve straight away with cucumber and rice if you want a more filling meal.
Notes
Toasted rice powder gives laab its nutty texture. If you do not have any, toast uncooked rice in a dry pan until golden, then grind it roughly with a pestle and mortar or spice grinder.
About this recipe
This turkey laab keeps the spirit of the Thai and Lao minced meat salad but makes it easy for a weeknight kitchen. Lean turkey is cooked quickly on the hob, then tossed while warm with lime juice, fish sauce, chilli, toasted rice powder and plenty of herbs.
Serve it in lettuce cups for a lighter meal, or add sticky rice, jasmine rice, cucumber and extra herbs to make it more filling. The key is balancing salt, acidity, heat and freshness at the end, so taste before serving and adjust confidently.
