Our Easy Turkey Laab Recipe

Written By Richard Kendrick

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What is Laab?

Laab, which can also be spelled Larb, larp or laap) is a light, deeply tasty, traditional dish from Laos and north eastern Thailand. Often served during celebrations, laab in Laotian refers to luck, making this an extremely popular dish, it can also be an excellent, exciting weeknight supper. It’s quick, and has bags of flavour but remains reasonably healthy.

The basic recipe below can be used for any type of minced meat or tofu. It uses a lot of fresh herbs, which elevates the taste of the dish and makes it really vibrant. The mince is cooked without oil, just a touch of water and sugar, and here, using turkey means the fat content is really low.

If you want to make your own crispy onions you can, however we always use bought crispy onions, see the ingredients box below to find out where to get them from.

Essential Kitchen Equipment Needed to Make Turkey Laab

This is one of those recipes that can really be made with your normal saucepans and kitchen equipment - but sometimes you just need to treat yourself, so each of the items above have been chosen as they are the best you can get for your kitchen!

Ingredients for Turkey Laab

Feeds four for a main course, or two people over a few days

  • 500g x lean turkey mince

  • 200g x French beans or another green like broccoli or spring greens, cleaned, washed and sliced

  • 1 x tsp palm sugar (soft brown sugar will do)

  • A large handful of mint, chopped

  • A large handful of coriander, chopped

  • Fresh chilli (optional) or Chilli crisp added on serving

  • 1 x lime, juiced with wedges to serve

  • 6 x tbsp crispy onions

  • 1-2 x tbsp fish sauce

  • A handful of thai basil

  • Serve with sticky rice (or basmati rice stir fried with vegetables)

How to Make Really Healthy Turkey Laab

  1. Heat a wok over a medium-high heat

  2. Add the turkey mince, greens, sugar, 2 tbsps of water and a pinch of salt

  3. Break the mince up in the wok and stir the ingredients together until they start bubbling briskly

  4. Cook the mince all the way through and cook until the water has almost evaporated

  5. Turn off the heat and stir in the herbs, chillies (if using), lime juice, fish sauce and half the crispy onions

  6. Before serving top with the remaining onions and the basil leaves

  7. Serve along with rice or wrapped in lettuce leaves

  8. Eat and enjoy!

Is Turkey Laab Healthy?

Generally speaking turkey laab is reasonably healthy dish. Turkey is very lean and this recipe doesn’t use oil to cook it in. It’s high in protein and with the good chunk and variety of herbs in the recipe, it has lots of vitamins. If you want to make this dish even healthier then serve it with lettuce rather than rice, or swap sticky rice for brown rice which is generally considered better for us. As with all foods, everything in moderation!

Can I Make Laab Ahead of Time?

Turkey Laab, once prepared and properly cooked, can be stored in the fridge and kept for up to three days. It’s best served warm and immediately after the lime and herbs have been added - but is still pretty good the next day! Sometimes Thai or Laotian families will eat this cold as well.

Can I Use Other Types of Mince for Laab?

Traditionally pork (Laab Moo), chicken (Laab Gai) or duck (Laab Ped) are used across Thailand, with Laab Moo being the most popular and common version. Tofu works really well in a laab and Laab Tao Hoo is a vegetarian alternative using either mushrooms or tofu as a meat replacement. With tofu, be aware that it has less natural flavour than minced meat - so it benefits from more seasoning or marinading beforehand.

A Vegetarian Alternative for Turkey Laab

If you’re feeling adventurous, why not grow your own Golden Oyster mushrooms and then replace the turkey mince with the fresh, home grown produce? The nutty flavour of the mushrooms will pair perfectly with the herby, zingy flavours in the laab and you can feel satisfied that you’ve reduced food miles and had a more positive effect on the environment! Click the button below to choose a kit or click here to see our review on grow your own mushroom kits.

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Richard Kendrick
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