Thai Ground Pork Salad

By west757

At Thai restaurants, Tom Mylan usually requests a double order of larb (or laab), an addictive appetizer of ground meat spiked with chiles, lime juice and fish sauce and served with lettuce leaves for wrapping.
Pairing SuggestionLike many southeast-Asian dishes, larb combines sweet, spicy and tangy flavors, making it tough to match with wines unless they're sweet and tangy, too. An off-dry Riesling from Washington state is ideal. Try the melony 2008 Poet's Leap or the peachy 2007 Columbia Winery Cellarmaster's.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground pork
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 small shallots, minced
• 1 large jalapeño, seeded and minced, plus sliced jalapeño for garnish
• Juice of 1 lime, plus lime wedges, for serving
• 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha (chile sauce), plus more for serving
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped mint
• 1/2 cup chopped basil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup chopped salted peanuts
• 1 large head Boston or other leafy lettuce, separated into leaves

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a bowl, mix the pork, garlic, shallots and minced jalapeño. In a small bowl, whisk the lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar and the 1 teaspoon of Sriracha.
In a skillet, heat the oil. Add the pork mixture and cook over high heat, stirring to break up the meat, until no pink remains, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl; stir in the herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Top with the peanuts and sliced jalapeños. Serve with lime wedges, Sriracha and lettuce for wrapping.