Laotian Beef Salad (Larb) with Omelette Noodles Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Larb is one of my favorite Southeast Asian dishes and combined with the Omelette Noodles it is wonderful.

I did something different here, something I wouldn’t normally do. Usually I would get the pan smoking hot and sear the protein but I didn’t get the wok hot enough and when meat hit metal it cooled down right away. It became a happy mistake. Instead of panicking I just let it sit. I watched as all the beef juice bubbled up around the meat and then slowly subsided until it was gone. Then the skirt steak caramelized really well and the fond, the sticky delicious stuff on the bottom of the pan, added tons of beefy flavor to the final dish. —thirschfeld

Directions

1. For the Larb
2. Heat a large wok or skillet over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and when it is warm add the minced skirt steak, garlic, lemon grass and shallot. It should cool the pan down and as it cooks liquid should release from the protein. Let it gently bubble while you occasionally stir. As the juice begins to evaporate stop stirring. Patiently wait for the meat to brown and the fond to build on the bottom of the wok or pan.
3. Add the fish sauce, soy and water. Stir the larb to combine and until almost all the liquid is absorbed. Using a spoon taste the larb and add a little salt if necessary. Stir then remove the pan from the heat.
4. Once the steak isn’t so hot but still warm stir in juice from half of the lime, half the chili, mint, cilantro and green onion. Set aside while you cook the omelette noodles.

1. For the Omelette Noodles
2. Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the half egg shells worth of water and the pinch of salt. Whisk the eggs thoroughly.
3. Place a 10 inch non-stick skillet over high heat. Before the pan gets to hot, add a dime size drop of oil and wipe it over the bottom of the pan with a paper towel.
4. Using a 1 oz. ladle, ladle egg right into the middle of the hot pan and immediately roll the pan around by the handle to disperse the egg into a thin even layer. If you need to add a touch more egg do so. Cook the egg until the edges curl ever so slightly and the egg on the top side of the "crepe/omelette" has set. Remove the omelette to a clean cutting board. Repeat, place one omelette on top of the other cooked omelette until you have 4 thin omelettes stacked.
5. Roll the omelettes and then slice them into noodles about 1/2 inch thick. Gently unroll the noodles and toss them with cooked larb. Plate up the salad and then top with the remaining herbs and the peanuts and squeeze the remaining lime juice over the top. Serve.