In a small bowl, combine the laab spice mixture, chili flakes, fish sauce and water and stir to dissolve the spices.
1 1/2 tablespoons laab spice mix, 2 teaspoons roasted red pepper flakes, 1 and a half tablespoons fish sauce, 1 and a half tablespoons of water
In a medium bowl, place the ground pork and flatten it in the bowl, then pour the spice mixture over the pork and knead it with your hands until well combined. Add the chopped liver (if using) and knead gently until smooth.
1 pound ground pork, 4 ounces pork liver
Prepare the fried garlic and garlic oil. In a small saucepan, add 3 tablespoons of oil and a small piece of minced garlic and place over medium-high heat. Once the garlic begins to boil, add the rest of the garlic and reduce the heat to medium-low, adding more oil as needed to keep the garlic just submerged. Continue frying, stirring often, until the garlic is golden (not browned) and bubbling has subsided, about 5 minutes. Drain the garlic through a metal strainer, reserving the garlic oil.
3-4 tablespoons of neutral oil, 5 cloves of garlic
In a wok over medium-high heat, add about 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil (store leftover oil in the refrigerator; it’s good on everything), then add the shallots, lemongrass, and galangal and fry until the lemongrass starts to brown.
¼ cup shallots, 1 stalk of lemongrass, 5 thin slices of galangal
Raise the heat to high and add the pork, stirring continuously and mashing it to break up the lumps. Continue like this until completely cooked; there should be a little liquid left in the pan but not a ton. Taste and further adjust the fish sauce seasoning as needed.
Turn off the heat, then add the cilantro, green onions and for aries.
5 springs of coriander, 1 green onion, 10-15 Vietnamese coriander leaves (rau ram)
Plate, garnish with fried garlic, fried shallots and mint and place more fresh herbs on the side. Serve with sticky rice, fresh vegetables and crispy pork rind.
Sticky rice, Fresh and crunchy vegetables such as Asian cabbage, carrots, cucumbers and long benas, Crispy pork rind, ½ cup mint leaves
