Entrée
Turkey Larb Lettuce Cups
Ground turkey tossed with lime, fish sauce, and herbs, piled into lettuce cups. Bright, funky, fast.
Active20 min
Total20 min
Dishes1
Per serving$3.00
Ingredients · 4 servings
| 1.25 lb | ground turkey |
| 2 tbsp | jasmine rice · pantry |
| 2 whole | lime |
| 3 tbsp | fish sauce |
| red chili flakes grow it ↗ · pantry | |
| 0.5 bunch | scallions grow it ↗ |
| 0.5 bunch | cilantro grow it ↗ |
| 1 head | butter lettuce grow it ↗ |
Method
The chef moveToast raw rice in a dry pan and grind it coarse for the traditional crunch and nuttiness — it's the one ingredient that makes this taste like larb instead of just seasoned turkey.
- Toast raw rice in a dry pan over medium heat until deep golden, 4-5 min. Grind coarsely in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
- Cook ground turkey in a dry pan over medium-high heat, breaking it up, until browned and cooked through, 165F / 74C.
- Off the heat, toss with lime juice, fish sauce, chili flakes, scallions, and half the toasted rice powder.
- Fold in cilantro. Serve in lettuce leaves, topped with the remaining rice powder.
The Why · No Anecdotes
The science, not a story about my childhood.
Why toast and grind raw rice instead of using rice flour or skipping it?
Toasting develops the same Maillard browning that makes toast smell like toast, building a nutty flavor raw rice doesn't have. Grinding it coarse afterward — not to a fine powder — keeps some actual crunch and texture, which is the point; a smooth rice flour would just dissolve into the sauce.
Why toss the dressing in off the heat?
Fish sauce and lime juice are both aggressive, aromatic ingredients that mellow and flatten out under heat. Tossed in after the pan comes off the burner, they stay sharp and bright instead of cooking down into something muddier.
Suggested sides — swap freely