Thai Minced Chicken Salad- Larb Gai
Posted by Katie on Jan 14, 2013 in Paleo, Recipes | 5 comments
As most of you know, I just returned from 6 months in Thailand. During this time, I ate my fair share of Thai food. I shopped at the local markets and I cooked quite frequently at home due to wanting to know exactly what was in my food. Here’s a minced chicken salad recipe, or also known as larb Gai, that I made weekly.
Ingredients for Larb Gai:
• 1 pound of ground chicken or finely minced chicken breast, tenders, or thighs.
• 1/2 cup of water- to add to chicken if it gets dry during the cooking process.
• 2 thinly sliced large shallots
• 1/4 cup chopped mint
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1-2 tbsp of fish sauce
• 1-2 tbsp of lime juice
• 1 tbsp of white sesame seeds
• 1 tsp dried/crushed chili pepper- optional, but I like to include them.
Steps:
1. In a skillet, over medium heat, cook chicken. If it gets dry during this process, then add some water. Don’t exceed 1/2 cup of water.
2. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from heat and toss with shallots.
3. Add 1 tbsp of fish sauce and 1 tbsp of lime juice. Taste. If you like the taste, then leave it be and move onto the next step. If not, add another bit of fish sauce or lime juice to adjust the taste. I always end up using 1 tbsp of fish sauce and 2 tbsp of lime juice. I like mine sour versus fishy.
4. Stir in sesame seeds and dried chili pepper.
5. Add cilantro and mint to the mix and toss.
6. Serve.
Notes:
To balance out the spiciness of this dish, serve this salad alongside a plate of fresh vegetables. In Thailand, I saw it most frequently served with raw cabbage, cucumbers, and butter leaf lettuce. And, if you’re in Chico and would rather go out to eat it, I recommend Sophia’s. Just know that they will use toasted ground rice instead of sesame seeds, but you can still adjust the dish to your liking with limes and fish sauce that will be served alongside larb.
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Written by Katie
Katie DeLuca is a native of Durham and has been involved with sports for the majority of her life. In addition to playing basketball at both the high school and junior college level, she also has experience with Cross Country, volleyball, and softball. Although her hunger to compete is still strong, Katie yearned for more than what competitive sports had to offer, and after her 8th year of playing basketball, she made the transition from competitive athlete to coach. For the last five years, she has been under the tutelage of NorCal Strength and Conditioning gym owners and head coaches Robb Wolf and Nicki Violetti, honing her coaching skills and developing an ever increasing knowledge of fitness and nutrition.
To help expand her knowledge of exercise and nutrition, Katie has attended several coaching seminars and has received numerous certifications, including: Paleo Solution Nutrition Certification through Robb Wolf, CrossFit Level 1 Certification, CrossFit Kids Certification, Olympic Weightlifting Certification through Catalyst Athletics, Kettle Bell Certification, and an ASEP Certification. To improve her understanding of barbell exercises, she worked with world-renowned strength and conditioning coach Mark Rippetoe and was featured in his bestselling DVD Starting Strength.
With the goal to share her unique knowledge of exercise and nutrition with kids, DeLuca coached both basketball and volleyball summer camps, as well as helped train the Durham High School football team in strength and conditioning. Through her experience as an athlete and coach, she has developed a firm understanding of the Paleo diet, as well as zone requirements as it relates to weight loss and performance. And as a frequent contributor to the NorCal SC blog, she is always cooking up new Paleo friendly recipes to share with her clients and coaching staff. As a personal trainer, Katie maintains a positive attitude and keeps her clients performing at their best by programming challenging yet enjoyable workouts. With a keen eye for movement, she spends an ample amount of time dialing in technique, giving her clients the tools they need to reach their full potential.
With a rich background in both competitive sports and general fitness, Katie is equipped with the necessary tools to coach a variety of clients. Whether your goal is to lose weight and get fit, or make gains in your respected sport, she is an excellent coach to have in your corner. Although Katie is currently working for her Bachelors degree in Kinesiology at Chico State, she is available in the morning and evening for private training sessions.
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I looove this dish!! I’m glad you posted a recipe w/a ground rice substitution — I’ll have to try this soon!
Yum!! I feel like if I was in a restaurant eating this, I’d have that “how the heck do I make this at home” moment. Done and done! Thanks Katie!
Cool thanks for bringing some of Thailand back with you. Ill def try this out!!
Glad you guys enjoyed a recipe post! Let me know how it goes for you if you end up making it!
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