Comments on: How do I know when it’s larb?

By: Mr. Beer Belly

Mr. Beer Belly — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:49:54 +0000

I would have thought that there would be a lot of vegetarians in Thailand.

By: mamster

mamster — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 18:30:43 +0000

Hey, it's dglasser!

There's nothing vegetarian that tastes much like fish sauce, although you can find "vegetarian fish sauce" at Asian groceries. Probably a better substitute is light soy sauce, such as Dragonfly brand.

Vegetarianism isn't as popular in Thailand as it is in the US or England, but it definitely exists; there was a popular mayor of Bangkok who was a vegetarian, and there's a vegetarian society that publishes lists of veggie restaurants, that sort of thing.

By: Dave Glasser

Dave Glasser — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 18:23:55 +0000

I would have been too embarassed to ask if Wendy hadn't already asked about tofu, but -- while we're at it, is there any decent vegetarian substitute for fish sauce here?

(And yeah, I know, fish sauce is in all Thai food, by definition or something.)

(Hoping you get email notifications of comments :) )

By: Gunther

Gunther — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 19:25:41 +0000

Ok, so I did give it a try. The rice I tried to use for fried rice powder turned out disgusting, though, so I went to the local Asian store to get some there. I didn't expect them to have any, so I asked the woman there. She knew immediately what I meant and came up with a packet.

At this time, there were two or three Asian customers in the store.

She asks me, "What do you need this for?"

Me: "Larb Gai"

Everyone in the store: "oooh! aaah!"

Her: "Aah, Larb, yeah, you need that for Larb."

Me: (smug)

By: Gunther

Gunther — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 08:49:02 +0000

That sounds fantastic. I’ll give it a try as soon as possible.

By: mamster

mamster — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 04:39:17 +0000

Yes, I think that would work fine. Probably it would best to use extra-firm tofu and press it. You might also brown the tofu first for extra flavor and then throw in the rest of the ingredients.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 01:49:36 +0000

Would you do it about the same way with tofu?

By: Laurel

Laurel — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:49:22 +0000

Mmm! I think I’m going to have some larb tonight.

By: Andrew Feldstein

Andrew Feldstein — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:23:11 +0000

I always tell people, "When you go there, get the larb."

"What's larb?"

"It's cold meat seasoned with every strong flavoring there is--hot pepper, mint, lemon, onion, and more--the more you eat it, the more your mouth explodes, but you can't stop."

"Err, ok, I guess."