"Laab Kai" or Spicy Ground Chicken Salad

This is one of my favorite dishes, Laab Kai, the classic Thai cuisine with the balance of sweet, salty, spicy, and sour. This is actually a really healthy dish that you can eat all you want and you’ll never gain a muffin top! I swear! It makes with lean protein of ground chicken and no oil is involved in preparing it. Basically, it’s a salad; and it must be eaten with lots of vegetables such as cucumber, raw cabbage, carrots, lettuce, or whatever veggies you like, the more veggies the better. 

         

However, I want to inform you that one of the interesting ingredients using in this dish that you might think it’s wired, if you are not Thais, is the roasted glutinous rice powder. It gives this dish the spontaneous aroma, texture, and taste like no others. Well, I can’t really say that when we have the same similar dishes and some of you might have tried that before at some Thai restaurants (I say “some” because not all of Thai restaurants will use roasted rice powder in this dish.) which they are “Laab Moo” or Spicy Ground Pork Salad, “Laab Nua” or Spicy Ground Beef Salad, “Yum Moo Yang” or Spicy Grilled Pork Salad, “Yum Nua” or Spicy Grilled Beef Salad! Okay, here is the hint…”Laab” = ground, “Kai” = chicken, “Moo” = pork, “Nua”= beef, and “Yang” = grilled! How fun! ^__^ Anyway, those are dishes using roasted glutinous rice power.
However, if you find it too difficult or too complicate to find the glutinous rice to roast since you are not normally using it, you can just leave it out. And don’t worry there is no rules for that, but you will be seriously missed out the true authentic Thai taste in this kind of Thai food. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s have some fun and get cooking.

What you need:

1 lb ground chicken
1/3 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
¼ cup fish sauce – or more adjusts to your taste buds
¼ cup fresh squeeze lime juice – or more adjust to your taste buds
2-3 tbsp ground chili pepper – or more adjust to your taste buds
2 stalks lemongrass, white part inside only, finely chopped
5-6 small shallots finely sliced
¼ cup green onion thinly sliced
1/ cup mint leaves thinly sliced
¼ cup roasted glutinous rice powder

**And as much or as little of your favorite veggies such as lettuce, cucumber, cabbage, or carrots to accompany the spicy salad

How to:

1. To roast glutinous rice, put the rice in small skillet over medium-high heat and stir continuously to prevent burn for about 3-5 minutes or until it’s just turning to light golden brown and fragrant. Use coffee grinder or food processor to grind the rice until it turns into powder, set aside.

2. Put ground chicken, water, and salt in the medium saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat, stir persistently to cook the meat so it won’t stick to bottom, cook until the meat is no longer pink and the water is reduced but not too dry.

3. Transfer cooked ground chicken into the not-so-large bowl and add all of the rest of ingredients into it and stir gently to combine all the flavors together

Serve with your favorite veggies – and with rice if desired. Now that’s easy!

Enjoy and stay healthy! 

^___^