Larb

Where it comes from

Larb came down the Mekong from Laos into Isaan and became the dish of weddings, new years and homecomings — its name sounds like laap, fortune, so eating it is halfway to a blessing. Warm minced meat is tossed with lime, fish sauce, chili flakes, mint and khao khua: raw rice toasted in a dry pan and pounded, the smoky crunch that makes larb larb. Tradition gives the head of the family the honor of mixing. Ours is mixed in the kitchen — the luck transfers anyway.