Lao · salad

Larb Ped (Duck Larb with Padaek and Toasted Rice)

Larb Ped (Duck Larb with Padaek and Toasted Rice) reads umami 6.4, funk & ferment 6.2 and salinity 5.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Lao salad, about 1 hr. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.4 · Funk & Ferment 6.2 · Salinity 5.5 · Richness 5.3 · Citrus 5.1 · Sourness 5.1 · Marine & Briny 4.7 · Herbaceous 4.6 · Allium 3.0 · Heat 1.9 · Floral 1.7 · Sweetness 1.2 · Earthy 1.1 · Warm Spice 1.1 · Bitterness 0.7 · Fruity 0.7

What's in it (13)

Time & effort: about 1 hr (57 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 72.3 kcal, 9.3 g protein, 2 g fat, 4.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (6 steps)

  1. Toast the glutinous rice in a dry pan over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking often, until every grain is the colour of dark honey and the smell fills the kitchen. Cool, then pound in a mortar to a gritty powder, not a flour. This khao khua is a texture ingredient as much as a flavour one and it is what makes larb larb rather than minced meat salad.
  2. Chop the duck by hand with a heavy cleaver until it is the texture of coarse mince with visible flecks of fat, about 10 minutes of work. A food processor turns it to paste and the dish is ruined.
  3. Put the duck in a dry wok over medium heat with 3 tbsp water and cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring and breaking it up, until it is just cooked through and the fat has rendered. Take it off the heat while there is still a little moisture in the pan; overcooked duck goes dry and the dressing will not cling.
  4. Warm the padaek in a small pan with 2 tbsp water for 3 minutes, then strain it. Padaek is fermented whole with rice bran and is chunky, funkier and less refined than Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce; Isan cooks reach for pla ra in the same slot and it is thinner and saltier. Neither is replaceable by bottled fish sauce alone, which is why fish sauce also appears here in a supporting role.
  5. Tip the warm duck into a bowl and dress it while still warm with the strained padaek, lime juice, fish sauce, chilli flakes and grated galangal. Toss well and taste: sour should arrive first, then salty-funky, then heat, and the galangal should be audible in the background.
  6. Fold in the shallots, spring onions and the toasted rice powder, then the mint, sawtooth coriander and coriander at the very last moment so the herbs stay whole and cold against the warm meat. Serve immediately at room temperature with steamed sticky rice, which is used as the utensil.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.