Thai Mushroom Salad Recipe (Laab Hed)
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Try this tasty 20-minute Thai mushroom salad recipe with enoki mushrooms, tossed in a gluten-free chili lime dressing full of bold flavor. It’s called laab hed in Thailand and is ideal for a healthy lunch or light dinner on warm summer days.
Tip: Thai laab salads are super versatile; you can just swap the mushrooms in this recipe for ground pork, chicken, or beef to create a whole new variation with the same dressing!
What is mushroom larb
Mushroom larb, or laab hed, is a traditional Thai salad from northeastern Thailand made with mushrooms, fresh herbs, lime juice, chili, and toasted rice powder. It’s popular for its spicy, sour, and savory flavor profile and is typically served with sticky rice or fresh vegetables.
Adapting to a vegetarian salad
This recipe traditionally uses ground pork for richness and depth, but it’s easy to turn it into a flavorful plant-based dish. Here’s how to make it vegetarian:
- Omit the meat or replace it with plant-based ground meat or tofu.
- Double the amount of mushrooms if skipping pork.
- Use soy sauce or mushroom sauce instead of fish sauce for umami.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
You’ll find detailed step-by-step photos and helpful tips just below. If you’re in a hurry, feel free to skip ahead to the recipe card with the measurements at the bottom.
- Ground pork – Can be swapped with duck, shrimp, or crispy fried chicken for a different flavor.
- Mushrooms – Larb mushroom can be made with enoki, shiitake, oyster, or any other Asian mushrooms; roast them for deeper flavor.
- Fish sauce – Adds salty umami depth; Megachef is a good brand, or use vegan fish sauce for a plant-based version.
- Toasted rice powder – Brings nuttiness and texture; available at Asian grocery stores or easily made at home by toasting and grinding glutinous rice.
- Thai chili flakes – Control the heat of your spicy enoki mushroom larb salad by adjusting the amount or swapping with fresh pounded chilies.
- White sugar – Balances the sour and spicy flavors with just a touch of sweetness.
- Coriander, mint, culantro
- Fresh lime juice
- Thai shallots
How to make Thai mushroom salad
Step 1: Cut off the roots of the mushrooms and rinse them under cold running water. Boil the enoki mushrooms for 1–2 minutes until slightly tender but still firm. Drain them well in a sieve and set aside.
Step 2: In a pan, cook the ground pork until fully done, then transfer it to the same sieve to drain off any excess liquid.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pork, enoki mushrooms, fish sauce, sugar, toasted rice powder, chili flakes, herbs, shallots, and freshly squeezed lime juice. Toss everything gently until well mixed, then serve right away while it’s still fresh and flavorful.
Storage tips
Store larb hed in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. For best texture, keep the herbs and lime juice separate and mix them in just before serving.
More Thai salad recipes you’ll love
- Thai cucumber salad for satay
- Pomelo salad
- Mango salad
- Corn salad
- You may also like these fried enoki mushrooms!
I hope you enjoy this Thai enoki mushroom larb recipe as much as I do! If you give it a try, please leave a comment and a star rating below. Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more!
Thai Mushroom Salad Recipe (Laab Hed)
Equipment
- cutting board and knife
- Medium pot or saucepan
- Fine mesh strainer
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups enoki mushrooms
- 1/2 cup ground pork
- 3 Thai shallots, sliced thinly
- 1 tbsp toasted rice powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1/2 lime
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 8 leaves culantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup coriander, chopped
- 1/4 cup mint
Instructions
- Prepare the mushrooms: Cut off the roots of the enoki mushrooms and rinse under cold running water. Boil them for 1–2 minutes until just tender, then drain in a sieve.
- Cook the pork: In a pan or wok, cook the ground pork until fully done. Transfer to the same sieve to let it drain.
- Mix the salad: In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked pork, mushrooms, fish sauce, sugar, toasted rice powder, chili flakes, shallots, herbs, and fresh lime juice.
- Toss and serve: Gently mix until everything is well combined. Serve immediately while fresh.
Notes
- Use the nutrition card in this recipe as a guideline.
How to cook enoki mushrooms?
- Trim off the root base to separate the clusters.
- Rinse the mushrooms under cold running water.
- Bring water to a boil in a pot or pan.
- Add the enoki mushrooms and boil for 1–2 minutes.
- Drain well in a sieve and use immediately.
