The Spiced Life

Musings & Recipes From My Kitchen

  • Home
  • About Me
  • FAQ
  • Dishes By Region
  • Archive and Index
  • Creative Cookie Exchange
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / beef / Lap Nuea Kai Nguang – but You Might Know It As Larb Gai

Lap Nuea Kai Nguang – but You Might Know It As Larb Gai

April 25, 2013 By Laura 14 Comments

Sharing is caring!

  • Facebook
  • Yummly
  • Twitter
  • Email

larb nuea gai nguang

Guys! I have been holding out on you. I have made this dish, a family favorite, a billion times–but it is so easy and so fast that is often gets made on nights when I don’t have the time or inclination to take pictures. I have always loved ordering larb gai (sometimes spelled lap kai, laab gai, etc), a sticky rice Northeastern Thai salad made with minced chicken, but I never felt like making it at home.   It always required planning ahead between having ground chicken on hand and making the sticky rice.

laab nuea kai nguang

Then one day I was reading She Simmers, where she discusses both the “anatomy” of the dish, as well as the anatomy of the transliteration of its name (larb/laab/lap/etc). She mentioned that in Thailand, people use all sorts of minced meats in the dish, and just like that a family favorite was born. Because thanks to both my own and my family’s propensity for buying entire cows or sections of a cow at once, I always have ground beef in my freezer. It had just never occurred to me to use it before. I also (with apologies to Leela and Thai purists) serve it with Jasmine rice, cooked up in 20 minutes.

larb nuea kai nguang

I follow Leela’s recipe for the minced meat faithfully. The one time I tried subbing Thai basil for the mint in a moment of necessity, it definitely made a difference and not in a good way. So I am sending you over to Leela’s post for the recipe. You may notice, however, that our dishes look different. Hers is obviously the more authentically Thai preparation. Mine is what comes from a lifetime of eating Americanized taco salads. I like a crunchy romaine and crunchy shredded napa cabbage with my ground meat. I also like a ton of both. For anything S.E. Asian, I like to add cucumber and shredded carrots. Grape or cherry tomatoes would be nice too, although I did not have any this day. And I always serve the salad with extra fish sauce and lime wedges, as the preferred balance of salty and sour can be very individual.

larb nuea gai nguang

I have to give another shout-out to Leela for giving me all of the translations for including different kinds of meat in your lap. I used a mix of ground beef and ground turkey in this particular instance, hence the nuea (beef) and kai nguang (turkey). Check the comments section of her post for more translations still!

As always…

Thanks for reading! I LOVE comments. Use the comment form below to interact, or if you like what you see, and want to see more, please feel free to jump on over to my Facebook page and hit like to never miss a post. It is also a great place to leave me comments or ask me questions.

If you are a Pinterest addict user like I am, you could also drop by and follow me there!

If you would rather have every recipe delivered to your inbox, please sign up below to be on my email list!


Enter your Email

Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Filed Under: beef, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, ground beef, lime, rice, salads Tagged With: beef, ground beef, ground turkey, laab, Laab Gai, laap, Laap Gai, Lahb Gai, lap, larb, Larb Gai, larp, Larp Gai, rice, romaine lettuce, salad, Thai, turkey

« Double Chocolate Chip Cookies made with PB2
Cinco de Mayo Mexican Recipes Round Up »

Comments

  1. Joanne says

    April 26, 2013 at 6:37 am

    I love seeing the quick and easy meals that make up someone’s go-to repertoire. Larb gai is one of those things I wish I had tasted before becoming vegetarian, just for the flavor of it. Maybe I”ll try it with lentils in place of the beef because it sounds super tasty!

    Reply
  2. tanya says

    April 27, 2013 at 10:46 am

    I love that you used both turkey and beef in this dish! I love exposing my family to different types of dishes. Can’t wait to try this one!

    Reply
  3. Ellyn says

    April 28, 2013 at 4:17 pm

    Laura, how easy is it to find galangel powder, or do you make your own? Looking forwarding to trying this one!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      April 28, 2013 at 4:36 pm

      I get it at jungle Jim’s, but I would think most Southeast Asian grocers would carry it. You can also use grated fresh Galangal, it probably is even better frankly.

      Reply
  4. Michelle@healthiersteps says

    April 14, 2015 at 12:52 am

    Laura you did a wonderful job on this recipe. Love the addition of the vegetables. Looks really delicious!

    Reply
  5. Sara says

    April 14, 2015 at 1:40 am

    Wow does this look good. I am a huge fan of thai food but I don’t get it very often because I have a kid with a peanut allergy so we avoid thai restaurants. I need to start making it at home, thanks for sharing this!

    Reply
  6. Judy@ImBoredLetsGo says

    April 14, 2015 at 7:19 am

    I love Larb Gai, or really anything Thai. Will click over to get the recipe!

    Reply
  7. Barbara @ Spirited Cook says

    April 14, 2015 at 10:21 am

    This looks healthy and like something I would make! I like your additions and I have to crack up when you said you are influenced by taco salads! I know what you mean! I’ll pop over to her site for the recipe. Cheers!

    Reply
  8. Abigail says

    April 14, 2015 at 10:50 am

    I love Thai food – we love it so much we went back last December to Thailand to enjoy their amazing cuisine! And yes, anything with fish sauce qualifies as delicious!

    Reply
  9. Nibbles By Nic says

    April 14, 2015 at 9:53 pm

    I’m so glad you decided to share the yumminess! Thai is a fave amongst my fan and I def plan on making this authentic dish very soon!

    Reply
  10. Kirsten says

    April 15, 2015 at 10:09 am

    Laura,
    It’s about time! I got a mess of Thai spices after a friend’s husband gave me his loose recipe for Larb. I followed his instructions and ended up with something inedible. That soured me from trying to make Larb again, and I’ve been using my spices for other Thai-inspired dishes instead.
    I think you’ve given me incentive to try it out–and I’ve got a thawed bag of ground beef waiting for something to do!
    Thanks!

    Reply
  11. Erin @ Platings and Pairings says

    April 15, 2015 at 11:15 am

    I LOVE larb gai! Cannot wait to try a true authentic version!!!

    Reply
  12. Lauren @ Wicked Spatula says

    April 15, 2015 at 4:53 pm

    I first had Larb Gai at an amazing Thai restaurant on my honeymoon…In Mexico believe it or not! I’ve been a fan ever since! I might try my hand at making it myself soon!

    Reply
  13. Renée ♥ The Good Hearted Woman says

    April 15, 2015 at 7:48 pm

    Like so many Thai dishes, this looks so light and refreshing! Thank you!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi! I’m Laura and I am a recovering history major who has re-channeled all of my passion for learning about the history of different countries to learning about their food culture. That doesn’t mean every dish on here is strictly authentic, but it does mean that even my adaptations are not undertaken lightly. My goal is to show you–by doing–that these dishes are possible in your kitchen. Including desserts because I have quite the sweet tooth! Read More…

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Instagram
Enter your email here and never miss a post!

Copyright © 2008–2025 The Spiced Life