This is my version of Pete Evans Beef Larb from his book ‘Easy Keto Dinners’.
As Pete says in his book….”Although larb (or larp) has its origins in Laos, it is one of the main dishes you come across when travelling from village to village in neighbouring Thailand”. It is traditionally eaten as a salad using mince meat or seafood. I served this warm on a bed of iceberg lettuce and loaded with fresh herbs (mint and coriander were what I had on deck). We ate it in a similar way to how we eat San Choy Bow, wrapping the beef mixture in the lettuce cups.
My variations – I made quite a few changes based on what I had in the pantry, to reduce cost and to suit our palate, whilst still keeping the base the same. I added extra sesame seeds and toasted them in olive oil. I also used some ground chilli powder as I didn’t have any fresh chilli and I also added some ground ginger and coriander – as the taste testers in my family felt it needed a bit more flavour. I also added some diced zucchini to up the veg content. I also used a bit of lemon juice as I didn’t have quite enough limes. The result was amazeballs and I could have eaten this for breakfast lunch and dinner if there had been enough. I also cooked a double batch – cook-once-eat-twice has long been my time and sanity saving motto and is proving to be a particularly great sanity saver at the moment.
It is apparently usually served with crushed rice. Pete has subbed in roasted sesame seeds to give similar texture. I served the final version with rice for my children, but hubby and I enjoyed the keto version.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 8-10 people | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 15 minutes |
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This dish was amazeballs and I could have eaten this for breakfast lunch and dinner if there had been enough!
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- 1/4 cups sesame seeds
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil or animal fat
- 1 kg beef mince pastured beef if possible
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice sub with lemon juice if needed
- 1/3 cup fish sauce Red Boat is the one and only clean fish sauce around
- 1 tsp ground chilli powder
- 1 Tbsp ground ginger
- 1 Tbsp ground coriander
- 2 medium brown onion diced or 8 shallots
- stems bunch coriander diced
- 1 handful fresh mint
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves thai if possible
- 1 handful fresh coriander
- 1 iceberg lettuce rinsed & broken into 'cup' sized pieces
- 2 cups cooked rice optional
- Toast sesame seeds in pre-heated frying pan, tossing constantly for 1 - 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Break apart leaves of the iceberg lettuce and rinse. If leaves are really large, break apart further into cup sized pieces.
- Dice onions (or shallots), zucchini and coriander shoots.
- Heat olive or coconut or animal fat in a pan.
- Prepare fresh herbs. Juice limes or lemons.
- Add diced onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add minced beef and cooked until browned. Use a wooden spoon stir and break up any lumps.
- Stir in the fresh coriander shoots, ground chilli, ginger & coriander until well combined.
- Add fish sauce and lime juice and stir for a few more minutes to warm through.
- Remove from heat and toss through half of the fresh herbs and the sesame seeds.
- Place lettuce cups in bowls (or lay out individually on plates - this is how my children like to do it) and spoon larb mix on top.
- Add rice for non-keto option.
- Garnish with remaining fresh herbs.
- ENJOY!!
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