Beef Larb and Black Rice Salad
Light and fresh, this beef larb and black rice salad recipe from Mindful Chef is a take on the classic Thai dish, perfect for a light summer dinner.
Introduction
Our take on a classic Thai dish, beat the summer heat with this finger-licking recipe. Sweet lettuce leaves serve as wraps here, the perfect vehicle to cool this spicy, aromatic stir-fried beef salad.
Ingredients
| 100g | black rice |
| 3 | radishes, trimmed |
| 1 | cucumber, halved lengthways and thinly sliced into half moons |
| 60g | cashew nuts, roughly chopped |
| 1 tbsp | olive or rapeseed oil |
| 300g | minced beef |
| 4 | garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed |
| 2cm | chunk of ginger, finely grated or chopped |
| 1 | red chilli, finely chopped (remove the seeds for less heat |
| 1 tbsp | clear honey |
| 3 tbsp | tamari |
| handful of | coriander, finely chopped |
| 2 | limes, grated zest and juvie of 1, the other cut into wedges to serve |
| handful of | mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped, plus a few whole for garnishing |
| 1 | Little Gem lettuce, leaves separated |
| sea salt and black pepper |
Method
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the rice and boil for 30–35 minutes, until cooked, then drain and rinse under cold water to cool.
Put the radishes, cucumber and cashew nuts into a mixing bowl and mix well.
Heat a large frying pan with 1 tablespoon oil on a high heat. Add the minced beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 8–10 minutes until browned, using a spoon to break it up.
Once the meat is browned all over, add the garlic, ginger and half the chilli. Cook for 1 minute on a medium heat, then add the honey and tamari. Cook for 1 more minute, until the liquid coats the meat, then stir in half the coriander and add the lime juice to taste (you’re aiming for a balance of sweet and sour). Transfer to a serving bowl, and garnish with the remaining coriander.
Finally, add the lime zest, chopped mint and remaining red chilli to the rice and stir through. Lightly season with salt and transfer to a serving bowl.
Fill the lettuce leaves with the beef mince, crunchy cucumber, radish and cashew nuts. Serve with the black rice and lime wedges.
