Crispy Tofu Larb with Toasted Rice and Mint Lettuce Cups
Larb is the loudest salad in Southeast Asia: sour, salty, hot and nutty all at once, held together by toasted rice powder you grind yourself. This version crisps crumbled tofu until the edges shatter, then dresses it off the heat so nothing goes soggy. Pile it into cold lettuce cups and eat it with your hands.
Love This Recipe?
Get personalized meal plans with recipes like this, automatically matched to your nutrition targets.
Nutrition (per serving)
Larb is the loudest salad in Southeast Asia: sour, salty, hot and nutty all at once, held together by toasted rice powder you grind yourself. This version crisps crumbled tofu until the edges shatter, then dresses it off the heat so nothing goes soggy. Pile it into cold lettuce cups and eat it with your hands.
The toasted rice powder, khao khua, is not optional garnish. Toasting raw jasmine rice in a dry pan until it smells like popcorn and grinding it coarse gives larb its nutty backbone and soaks up the lime dressing so the salad never turns watery. Everything else is a five minute knife job.
Step-by-step instructions
Toast the raw jasmine rice in a dry skillet over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, shaking often, until it turns deep golden and smells like popcorn. Tip it into a mortar or spice grinder and crush to a coarse, sandy powder.
Crumble the pressed tofu into rough, uneven pieces with your fingers so it catches the dressing later. Do not cube it neatly, the ragged edges are the whole point.
Heat the oil in a wide skillet until shimmering and fry the tofu in a single layer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring only every couple of minutes, until the edges are crisp and deeply golden. Slide it off the heat and let it cool for 2 minutes.
Whisk the lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and chili flakes together until the sugar dissolves. Pour it over the warm tofu with the shallots, spring onions and most of the toasted rice powder, then toss hard so every piece is coated.
Fold through the torn mint and cilantro at the last second so they stay bright green. Spoon the larb into chilled lettuce cups, shower with the remaining rice powder and serve with lime wedges.
Two things make or break this one: grind the toasted rice coarse rather than fine so it still crunches, and dress the tofu while it is warm but off the heat. If you are making it ahead, keep the dressing, the crisp tofu and the herbs in separate containers and toss everything together right before you eat.
Ingredients
- 1 block (14 oz / 400g) extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
- 3 tbsp uncooked jasmine rice
- 2 tbsp neutral oil, such as rice bran or sunflower
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or vegan fish sauce
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp Thai chili flakes (prik bon), or to taste
- 2 shallots, very thinly sliced
- 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1 large handful mint leaves and 1 handful cilantro, roughly torn
- 1 head baby gem or butter lettuce, leaves separated
Step-by-Step
- 1
Toast the raw jasmine rice in a dry skillet over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, shaking often, until it turns deep golden and smells like popcorn. Tip it into a mortar or spice grinder and crush to a coarse, sandy powder.
- 2
Crumble the pressed tofu into rough, uneven pieces with your fingers so it catches the dressing later. Do not cube it neatly, the ragged edges are the whole point.
- 3
Heat the oil in a wide skillet until shimmering and fry the tofu in a single layer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring only every couple of minutes, until the edges are crisp and deeply golden. Slide it off the heat and let it cool for 2 minutes.
- 4
Whisk the lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and chili flakes together until the sugar dissolves. Pour it over the warm tofu with the shallots, spring onions and most of the toasted rice powder, then toss hard so every piece is coated.
- 5
Fold through the torn mint and cilantro at the last second so they stay bright green. Spoon the larb into chilled lettuce cups, shower with the remaining rice powder and serve with lime wedges.
Recipe
Crispy Tofu Larb with Toasted Rice and Mint Lettuce Cups
Ingredients
- 1 block (14 oz / 400g) extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
- 3 tbsp uncooked jasmine rice
- 2 tbsp neutral oil, such as rice bran or sunflower
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or vegan fish sauce
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp Thai chili flakes (prik bon), or to taste
- 2 shallots, very thinly sliced
- 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1 large handful mint leaves and 1 handful cilantro, roughly torn
- 1 head baby gem or butter lettuce, leaves separated
Instructions
- 1
Toast the raw jasmine rice in a dry skillet over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, shaking often, until it turns deep golden and smells like popcorn. Tip it into a mortar or spice grinder and crush to a coarse, sandy powder.
- 2
Crumble the pressed tofu into rough, uneven pieces with your fingers so it catches the dressing later. Do not cube it neatly, the ragged edges are the whole point.
- 3
Heat the oil in a wide skillet until shimmering and fry the tofu in a single layer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring only every couple of minutes, until the edges are crisp and deeply golden. Slide it off the heat and let it cool for 2 minutes.
- 4
Whisk the lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and chili flakes together until the sugar dissolves. Pour it over the warm tofu with the shallots, spring onions and most of the toasted rice powder, then toss hard so every piece is coated.
- 5
Fold through the torn mint and cilantro at the last second so they stay bright green. Spoon the larb into chilled lettuce cups, shower with the remaining rice powder and serve with lime wedges.
Nutrition Facts
* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.