Thai Chicken Larb Gai with Chef Jet Tila

We just moved after traveling and are unpacking once again, sigh.  And…after 3 months of no television, we just connected to a new provider, and discovered the channel Veria Tv.   It’s a refreshing change from the typical trash cable programming, with yoga classes, wellness education, and best of all cooking class videos with Chef Jet Tila, in a great show “Chasing the Yum”.  Chef Jet is a renowned chef specializing in Asian cuisine, whose passion began as a child at the Bangkok Market.  In addition to Veria, his many recent featured tv appearances include the Food Network, No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain, Take Home Chef on TLC, and Smart Solutions on HGTV.  His Pan Asian restaurant Wazuzu at the Encore resort in Las Vegas is based on a balance of four flavors:  hot, salty, sour, and sweet, with the perfect midpoint between them, a Thai word called “Yum”.  What we like best about him is that he is a phenomenal teacher, using straightforward basic techniques to help you create restaurant quality food at home.

Today’s featured recipe with Chef Jet Tila teaches you how to cook a healthy Thai staple , Chicken Larb, which is a ground or finely chopped meat, in this case chicken, served with Thai spices, red onion, and mint.

Chicken Larb Gai,
Chef Jet Tila, Wazuzu Restaurant

1 Tbsp. Tamarind Paste
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
3 to 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Large Shallot, sliced
2 Lbs. Ground Chicken Breast (or finely chopped)
1/2 – 3/4 cup Red Onion, thinly sliced
1/2 Cup Mint leaf
1 -2 tsp Thai chili powder
2 1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
2 oz. Fish Sauce
½ Cup. Palm Sugar or brown Sugar
¼ Cup Roasted Rice Powder (purchase or see below to make yourself from Jasmine Rice)
3 – 4 Green Onions (scallions) , chopped

Add tamarind paste to ground chicken and let stand for 15 minutes.
Heat a medium pan to medium an add oil. Sauté garlic and shallot until translucent, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the chicken to the pan, stir-fry until chicken is cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, stir in fish sauce, lime, sugar, and chili powder then mix well. Adjust ingredients as necessary.
Add Mint, onion, and roasted rice powder. Give it a good toss and sand remove from heat.
Serve with sliced carrots, lettuce, and or cabbage.
(Roasted rice powder can be bought in the store, but making it yourself is fun and easy. Take 3 to 4 tablespoons of jasmine rice and roast it in a dry pan. Keep stirring as the rice cooks. Once the rice is dark brown and fragrant, put it into a blender or food processor. Grind until a coarse powder is formed. Rice powder makes a great topping for Larb and any other salad.)

For more from Chef Jet, check out Average Betty as she visits his restaurant and learns his secret recipe for delicious Drunken Noodles, with video here, and his Chicken Satay Recipe.