Thai Larb Bowl - a simple Thai-inspired recipe that’s filled with flavorful grass-fed ground beef, cabbage, cilantro and peanuts. Simple, delicious and great for meal prep.
Have you ever heard of larb (pronounced laab)? It’s a very popular dish in Laos and Thailand, often featuring minced meat seasoned with fish sauce and lime juice, a salad or lettuce wrap with lots of herbs like mint, and it’s often served with rice.
The first time I heard about Larb, Dalton told me all about the larb he enjoyed at a friend’s house. A new dish to me, but it sounded interestingly delicious. I did my research and tried it out - boy was it flavorful! We’ve modified the standard recipe, removing the lettuce wrap and packing in the veggies - lots of purple cabbage.
This Thai Larb Bowl is a simple weeknight meal and makes great leftovers. Double the recipe to make enough for some easy healthy leftovers.
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Ready to make Thai Larb Bowl? Let’s do it!
1 - Prepare rice. Combine rice with 2 cups water in a medium pot, bring to a boil, then let simmer until water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 45 minutes.
2 - Prepare veggies. Chop/shred cabbage, chop onions and cilantro.
3 - Add sesame oil to a heated medium skillet. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Then add ground beef and brown. Once brown, add garlic, ginger, Thai chili, soy sauce and fish sauce. Cook until liquid is reduced. Avoid letting the mixture dry out, but reduce to remove most of the liquid.
4 - In a large bowl, combine cabbage, cilantro and green onions. In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients - lime juice, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and pepper. Add sauce to cabbage mixture and stir until well combined.
5 - Serve: Once the beef mixture is ready, add it to the cabbage mixture and stir until combined. Divide rice and beef/cabbage mixture between 4-6 bowls. Garnish with peanuts, sesame seeds and mint. Enjoy!
Thai Larb Bowl: Tips, tricks, and tools
You don’t need any special tools for this recipe, but a few of the basic tools we love and use at home make things easy. A quality Chef’s knife, mandoline or food processor will certainly speed things up - like dealing with the cabbage. Our cast iron skillet travels with us everywhere - in the family for years, cast irons are as sturdy as they come.
High quality ingredients. Plant-forward meals are always a focus of ours. We don’t eat meat often, as there are a ton of great plant-based protein sources out there. But when we do enjoy meat, we’re okay with spending more for a higher quality meat. We aim to vote with our dollar and find local, grass-fed/finished beef that's been raised humanely.
We hope you love this simple Thai Larb Bowl!
- Makes for a great weeknight or meal prep recipe
- This filling meal is packed with nutrients like folate, vitamin B6, and fiber - for an easy healthy meal
Love this simple Asian recipe? Check out our other delicious Asian-inspired recipes like this Thai Green Curry with Bok Choy or our Grass-Fed Beef and Zoodle Pad Thai.
Did you enjoy this Thai Larb Bowl as much as we do?
Comment below! And rate the recipe to let us know how it turned out! Not cooking today? Save this Thai Larb Bowl for later by pinning it to your Thai Board and make sure to tag us at The Crooked Carrot Instagram to show us your Thai Larb Bowl creations!
"Adventure is worthwhile" - Aesop
Thai Larb Bowl
Ingredients
Ground Beef
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 pound grass-fed/finished ground beef
- ½ onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Thai red chili minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 1-inch knob ginger grated
Larb Bowl
- 1 cup brown rice
- ½ red cabbage chopped
- 3 green onions sliced on a bias
- ½ cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 lime juiced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari/coconut aminos
- ½ tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- black pepper to taste
- peanuts for garnish
- sesame seeds for garnish
- mint for garnish
Instructions
- If serving with rice, start by preparing rice. Combine 1 cup rice with 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and let simmer until water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 45 minutes.
- Heat skillet over medium heat, add sesame oil. Add onions and saute until translucent, 5-8 minutes. Add ground beef and brown. Once the ground beef is browned, add garlic, ginger, Thai chili, soy sauce and fish sauce and cook until reduced.
- In a large bowl, combine cabbage, green onions and cilantro. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. Add sauce to cabbage and mix until coated.
- Once beef is browned and reduced, add the beef to the cabbage/mixture and combine.
- Divide into bowls and garnish with peanuts, sesame seeds and mint. Serve with rice. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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