As I am flying to Poland again this weekend, I’ve had to cook a few Asian inspired dishes so that I can handle eating pierogi on repeat for a week 🙂 . Just kidding! There is plenty of fabulous vegan food in Krakow, so I am sure I won’t get bored!
Today’s recipe is my attempt at veganising the national dish of Laos – larb. It features stir-fried mince, typically pork, that is seasoned with a liberal amount of lime juice and taken up to the next level with plenty of chopped up fresh herbs, like mint and coriander.
It is a salad of sorts, so you can simply have it inside fresh lettuce leaves or mixed into rice, which I personally prefer.
It’s delicious, aromatic, herbaceous and rather filling, so I figured it will make a perfect January meal, healthy yet satiating. I would not be myself if I hadn’t added some steamed broccoli to the mix, but you don’t have to!
- 2 tbsp raw sticky rice, long grain or basmati rice
- 2 tbsp soy sauce / tamari (for GF version) or vegan fish sauce (if you are able to find it)
- 3 tbsp lime juice (1 lime), more to taste
- a small piece of ginger, grated finely (about 1-2 tsp grated)
- 1-2 tsp sugar (I used coconut), adjust to taste
- 400 g / 14 oz tempeh*
- 2 tbsp high smoke point oil (I used rice bran)
- 2 small shallots, finely diced
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 2-3 hot red chillis, finely sliced (deseeded for less heat)
- a good pinch of salt, adjust to taste
- a good pinch of white pepper (black is okay too)
- a bunch of fresh mint, leaves chopped
- a bunch of fresh coriander / cilantro, chopped
- steamed greens (I used broccoli), to serve (optional)
- cooked rice or fresh lettuce leaves, to serve
- Heat up a wok and once hot, add raw rice to it. Gently toast the rice, stirring very frequently, until fragrant and golden (about 10 minutes). Pound cooled-off rice in a pestle and mortar until all the grains are broken up and set aside for later.
- Combine soy sauce / tamari (or vegan fish sauce), lime juice, ginger and sugar in a small bowl.
- Chop tempeh into a really fine dice or chop it up roughly and grind it up in a food processor, taking care not to overprocess it.
- Heat up 2 tbsp of oil in the same wok you used to toast the rice. Once hot, add cubed / ground tempeh to it. Stir-fry for a few minutes until browned in places.
- Add in shallots, spring onions (white part only) and chilli and stir-fry for another minute or so.
- Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper and mix in the marinade you prepared earlier. Toss the tempeh in the marinade.
- Once off the heat, incorporate 1-2 tbsp of toasted ground-up rice and 2/3 of the chopped herbs into the tempeh.
- Serve with cooked rice or inside lettuce leaves with extra herbs, the green part of the sliced onions and some more lime juice squeezed on top.