Thai Pork Larb

Step 1

Cut the lime in half horizontally, separating the top and bottom hemispheres. You will use one half for juice and keep the other for serving.

Step 2

Squeeze the lime half firmly over a small bowl using your hand or a citrus juicer until you have about 3 tablespoons of juice. Set the juice aside.

Step 3

Mince the garlic cloves until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice—about the size of pencil-tip dots—using a sharp knife on a cutting board.

Step 4

Slice the red chili lengthwise from the tip to the stem, then turn it 90 degrees and slice thinly crosswise into rings, roughly the thickness of a toothpick, so the heat spreads throughout the dish.

Step 5

Slice the shallot lengthwise from root to tip, then rotate and slice thinly crosswise into half-moon slivers about the thickness of a coin.

Step 6

Pluck the mint leaves from their stems by pinching the leaf base and pulling away; discard the stems. Repeat with the cilantro leaves.

Step 7

Set a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground pork without any oil. Stir and break it apart with a wooden spoon as it cooks, crushing larger clumps into small crumbles.

Step 8

Continue cooking and stirring for 6–8 minutes, until the pork is no longer pink inside and the surface looks dry and lightly browned, with no visible moisture pooling in the pan.

Step 9

Remove the skillet from the heat. The pork will be hot, so keep your hands back from the pan.

Step 10

Add the minced garlic, sliced chili, sliced shallot, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and 2 tablespoons fish sauce to the hot pork in the skillet.

Step 11

Stir the pork and all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon for about 1 minute until evenly combined; the residual heat will cook the aromatics slightly.

Step 12

Taste the larb by taking a small spoonful. If you want it more sour, squeeze the remaining lime half and stir in a bit more juice; if it needs saltiness, add a few drops more fish sauce.

Step 13

Add the mint and cilantro leaves to the skillet and stir gently with a wooden spoon until the herbs are evenly scattered throughout the pork, so the flavors stay bright.

Step 14

Arrange the lettuce leaves on a serving plate or in a shallow bowl to form a bed or nest.

Step 15

Spoon the warm pork larb onto the lettuce leaves, piling it in the center. Serve immediately while the pork is still warm.