Tangy Larb with Roast Chicken

I only recently even heard of this dish, often found in Thai restaurants (though actually a Laotian specialty).  Guess I wasn't looking too closely at the menus.  Perhaps the name had something to do with that??  Anyway, I did make it last month with ground beef, but having a nice bit of left-over roast chicken, thought I'd mince that up for a quick no-cook dinner.  Always good to have something different to do with extra chicken, and a beautiful idea in this hot weather.  Usually larb has some sort of ground meat or tofu, which you then cook before adding the flavoring ingredients and lettuce leaves to dish it into.  Many larb recipes call for roasted, ground rice, which I left out, not being certain this added step is necessary.  Easy peasy dinner. 

Chicken Larb

• 1 ¼ pounds white or dark meat chicken, finely minced with a knife  (I used left-over, cooked chicken)
• 2 tablespoons nam pla or other fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2or 3 kefir lime leaves, finely slivered 
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon crushed dried chili, or fresh, minced, or Sriracha Chili Sauce to taste 
• ½ cup sliced red onion
• 1/4 cup mint leaves 
• ¼ cup minced scallions
•  1/4 cup cilantro
• 1/2 cup cabbage, shredded
• 4 to 6 romaine lettuce leaves

Preparation

1. Put minced chicken in a pot with water to cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat to low, and simmer a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until done.  Or, use previously cooked chicken.  If that is the case, heat gently in a microwave, preferably with some of the pan drippings before using.
2. In a bowl, combine chicken, with remaining seasoning ingredients, nam pla, lime juice, sugar, and chile etc.; taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Make a bed of romaine leaves on a platter and everyone can spoon chicken mixture into middle of a leaf, to roll and eat.

I also had some breadfruit, cooked earlier in the day, which just needed to be nuked to serve alongside. Larb pops with vibrant, zingy flavors and made a lovely, light summer meal, which I'll share over at Beth Fish Reads for her Weekend Cooking event.  If you have anything food or drinks related, join in or just come and visit.