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! Â
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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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