Larb Bao

First, make the larb.

Get your grill going and get the coals nice and hot. Again, I used charcoal when cooking on the grill. Cooking over charcoal is desired for that smoky and char flavor you will not get from a gas grill.

Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Throw them on the grill and cook them, flipping every few minutes until cooked through. This will probably take about 5 minutes per side but just make sure the juices run clear before you pull them off the grill. Remove chicken from the grill and chop it into small pieces. Set aside.

Add about 1/2 cup of uncooked jasmine rice to a dry skillet over medium heat. Cook the rice for about 15 minutes, tossing it along the way. Your goal is to brown the rice to a deep, golden color. Once you get to that state, add the rice into a coffee grinder or blender. Pulse until you have a coarse powder. You’ll need about 1/3 cup of this for the recipe. If you have extra you can discard it or use it for something else—or just throw it in!

Add the oil into a large skillet and warm it to a medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, add in the chopped chicken.

Add in all of the remaining larb ingredients, and give it a good mix. If you are serving kids, I would suggest removing the chili peppers from this recipe, or divide the mixture before adding the chili peppers and just cook part of it with the peppers. I would recommend 1-2 chili peppers for the mild at heart, and 3-4 chili peppers for those who love the heat. Regardless if it is one chili or four, the balance is perfect. Once everything is heated through you can lower the heat to low just to keep warm.

Next, steam your buns. They take about 11 minutes to fully steam, or follow the package instructions. I line some parchment paper in my two-tier steamer. Place as many buns as you can in there, cover it, bring to a boil, and steam. Your minced meat mixture should already be cooked, and warmed. Prepare the cilantro and peanuts. You can also use fresh mint if you want. Be creative.

When the buns are done steaming, remove them from the steamer, place them in a bowl, and cover with a towel to keep them warm.

To plate, open the bun, spoon in some of the Thai minced meat, add some cilantro and peanuts and you are on your way. I am not kidding when I tell you how awesome the bao is. If you have ever had one, you will most certainly agree. It’s small, it’s light, and it is a bit sweet. Stuff away, and repeat. Go get more bao because it goes quick, and if you have kids like mine, they will be asking for more. It’s that good. Give the bao a shot and let me know what you think. As always, enjoy the recipe.