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    Home » Recipes » Main Course

    Lemongrass Pork Meatballs (Larb Style) - 3 Ways

    Published: Mar 23, 2017 • Modified: Mar 1, 2022 • Author: Joyce • 26 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Larb (Pronounced as Lahp, the R is muted) is a minced meat salad made with fresh and flavourful ingredients such as mint, limes, lemongrass, ground meat and ground up toasted rice. Traditionally, larb is served with a side of sticky rice, this lemongrass pork meatballs recipe will show you 3 alternative ways to enjoy this!

    Lemongrass Pork Meatballs (Larb Style) laid out on 3 plates with a small bowl of fish dipping sauce, hot sauce and vermicelli noodles.

    The classic way to make this it is to cook the pork as is so that it is crumbly but I decided to break tradition a bit and made this to a meatball. I find meatballs a bit easier to eat, great to travel with and bite-sized little things are great for sharing! It's a bit more work but well worth it, and if you have a traditionalist among your crowd they can always smush the meatball up and it's crumbly again! Versatile 🙂

    Tidbit #1 : Larb is most commonly known as a Thai dish but it actually originates from Laos! 🙂

    Let's talk about flavours. What does larb taste like?

    This is a VERY flavourful dish. The most predominant flavours are from the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves followed by a bit of tang from the limes and the saltiness and umaminess from the fish sauce. Mint is a big part of this dish. I didn't put mint into the actual pork meatballs itself because I find that cooking mint, mutes the flavours so it was served fresh on the side.

     

     

    INGREDIENTS

    For this pork meatballs recipe, most ingredients can be found in your local grocery store.

    Kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and lemongrass may not be available at local grocery stores but can be found at an Asian grocery store.Lemongrass Pork Meatballs (Larb Style) ingredients laid out on a table (ground pork, galangal, lime, fish sauce, garlic, glutinous rice, shallots, kaffir lime leaves)

    Although galangal looks similar to ginger, it actually does not have the same flavour so it cannot be substituted with ginger. Galangal has a clean, citrusy and piney flavour, whereas ginger is has a sharp, spicy, warm and peppery flavour. If you cannot find galangal, this can be omitted.

     

     

    PUTTING IT TOGETHER

    1.) Toast the Glutinous Rice & Grind it Up

    On low heat, toast the rice in a frying pan for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Once it looks nice and golden, wait for it to cool and grind it up in a mortar and pestle or food processor.

    Roasted glutinous rice being ground up in a mortar and pestle for Lemongrass Pork Meatballs (Larb Style)

     

    2.) Blitz the Spices

    If you are using fresh lemongrass, use only the thick stalk on the bottom and discard the upper half that looks dry. The flavour is at the bottom.

    Remove the stem and spine from the kaffir lime leaves. This is a very waxy leaf and keeping the spine and stems make it harder to break down.

    In a food processor, grind up: kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass (if not using pre-ground), garlic, shallots and galangal. (You can also chop these all by hand but make sure you finely chop it so you don't get big chunks of any particular spice)

     

    3.) Combine & Roll

    An example of meatballs being rolled up - raw pork in a large bowl with a plate of rolled up meatballs for Lemongrass Pork Meatballs (Larb Style)

    In a bowl, combine the pork, spices that were ground up, the ground up toasted rice powder, lime juice, sugar and fish sauce and mix.

    Tip #1 : To taste if the pork meatballs have enough flavour or salt, put ½ tsp of meat mixture into a microwave-safe bowl and heat it up to do taste tests!

    You can mix this up by hand or with a stand mixer.

    Once the mixture is well combined, roll them up into 1-inch meatballs. This will make between  30-40 meatballs.

    Tip #2: If the meat is sticking to your hands, keep a small bowl of water by your side to lightly wet the palms of your hands before rolling.

     

    4.) Cook it Up!

    In a frying pan add ¼-1/2 inch of oil and set the heat to medium and wait until the oil is hot or shimmering.

    Add in the meatballs and fry them for 5 minutes or until golden brown.

     

     

    LET'S EAT - 3 WAYS !

    Noodle Bowl

     in a large bowl with vermicelli noodles, cucumbers and lime set on a table

    Add some vermicelli (or rice) in a bowl, add some pork meatballs and top it with refreshing garnishes such as cucumbers, and mint and a wedge of lime for some extra zing. Top it with nuts for a bit of crunch!
    Sauces: Sriracha, Nuoc Cham (A sweet, sour and salty dressing), thinned out hoisin sauce.

    Lettuce Wrap

    Lemongrass Pork Meatballs (Larb Style) in a piece of lettuce with some vermicelli noodles being made into a lettuce wrap on a table

    For the lettuce wrap, you can use any type of lettuce. We found that green leaf lettuce (different from the iceberg lettuce and romaine lettuce) and boston lettuce were easiest to wrap with. Top it with vermicelli noodles, mint, bean sprouts, a squirt of lime, any type of additional fresh vegetables.
    Sauces: Sriracha, thinned out hoisin sauce.

    Salad

    Lemongrass Pork Meatballs (Larb Style) in a bowl with chopped lettuce, mango and a variety of veggies made into a salad

     

    The salad is one of the easiest ways to eat this dish. Use any type of greens and veggies and toss it with a light dressing such as noac cham. Toppings can also include fruits for a bit of sweetness (like mango) and some toasted nuts for a bit of crunch.

    ...and of course, you can also enjoy this the traditional way - with a side of sticky rice and vegetables! 😉

     

     

    Lemongrass Pork Meatballs (Larb Style) in a large plate served with a side of vermicelli noodles, chilli sauce and fish sauce dipping sauce on a table

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    Lemongrass Pork Meatballs (Larb Style) - 3 Ways

    Flavourful lemongrass pork meatballs made with fresh mint, limes, lemongrass, ground meat & toasted rice with 3 ways to enjoy this flavourful dish!
    Print Pin Rate Save Recipe Saved!
    Course: Main, Side, Snack
    Cuisine: Laotian
    Prep Time: 40 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
    6 Servings
    5 from 8 votes

    Recipe Notes

    • If you are using fresh stalks of lemongrass, use only the whites at the bottom and discard the dried top part of the stalk
    • Before grinding the keffir lime leaves, remove the stem and spine. They prevent the leaves from being ground up into small bits
    • Keep the pan moving when you're toasting the glutinous rice to prevent it from burning
    • If the meat is sticking to your hands during the meatball rolling step, keep a small bowl of water around to keep your palms damp before rolling
    • Heat up ½ tsp of meat in the microwave to taste test if the meat mixture is salty or flavourful enough

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 ½ lbs ground pork
    • ¼ cup glutinous rice
    • 10-15 kaffir lime leaves (stems and leaf spines removed)
    • 2 cm galangal
    • 1 ½ tablespoon lemongrass
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 2 shallots
    • 1 lime (juiced)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Toast the Glutinous Rice

    • In a frying pan, set the stove on low heat and toast the glutinous rice for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. (Keep the pan moving to prevent the rice from burning)
    • Once the rice has been toasted, let it cool and grind it to a medium powder with a mortar and pestle or food processor and set it aside.

    Grinding the Spices

    • In a food processor, grind the: keffir lime leaves, galangal, lemongrass (if using whole stalks), garlic and shallots.

    Rolling the Meatballs

    • In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, toasted glutinous rice powder and freshly ground spices together and combine it by hand or stand mixer.
    • Roll the meat mixture into 1 inch meatballs.

    Cooking the Meatballs

    • In a pan, put ¼ to ½ inch of oil on medium heat and wait for the oil to get hot and shimmery before adding in the meatballs to cook.
    • Cook the meatballs for 5-7 minutes, until golden brown. Flipping them every 30 seconds to evenly cook it.

    Serving it Up - 3 Ways

    • As a Noodle Bowl - Boil some vermicelli noodles and add the noodles and meatballs into the bowl. Garnish it with mint, cucumbers, a wedge of lime for some zing. Top it with crushed nuts for a bit of crunch.
    • Sauces: Sriracha, Nuoc Cham (A sweet, sour and salty dressing), thinned out hoisin sauce.
    • As a Lettuce Wrap - As a wrap we found using Boston lettuce or green leaf lettuce (different from iceberg lettuce and romaine lettuce) the easiest to roll with. Top it with vermicelli, crushed nuts and bean sprouts.
    • Sauces: Sriracha, thinned out hoisin sauce.
    • As a Salad - Chop up any type of green lettuce and top it with chopped vermicelli, bean sprouts or any type of fresh vegetables and fruits (like mango!). Serve with crushed nuts for some crunch and a light vinaigrette dressing such as nuoc cham (sweet, sour and salty fish sauce dressing)

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 19g | Sodium: 1501mg | Sugar: 7g

    *Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*

    Did you try this recipe?I'd love to hear from you! Let me know how it was and consider giving it a rating! Tag me on Instagram with @pupswithchopsticks to show me!
    Made with ♡ by Joyce | Pups with Chopsticks

    Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, however I provide these links to make items easier to find if you cannot purchase this locally and I would never recommend anything I don’t own myself or highly recommend. I would prefer you buy your items locally if possible to support your local shops (and chances are they are cheaper locally as well!) 🙂

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says

      December 07, 2017 at 9:36 pm

      This is a very creative take on a meatball recipe! Looks tasty!

      Reply
    2. Cheapskate Cook says

      December 07, 2017 at 5:24 pm

      I haven't tried a lot of lemongrass flavored things, but this looks amaaaazing.

      Reply
    3. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says

      December 07, 2017 at 5:09 pm

      OMG I need, need, need to try this - lemongrass in meatballs sounds awesome.

      Reply
    4. Lisa Bynum says

      December 07, 2017 at 1:51 pm

      5 stars
      Everything about these looks so delicious. I'm a sucker for a noodle bowl, but those lettuce wraps look pretty tempting too!

      Reply
      • Joyce says

        December 08, 2017 at 2:24 pm

        It's definitely fun to switch that up a bit, when I'm feeling bored I definitely do the lettuce wrap! Makes things a bit more interactive!

        Reply
    5. MyCookingSecrets.com | Krystallia Giamouridou says

      December 07, 2017 at 1:45 pm

      I love asian style meatballs and the options you suggest us to make are really interesting. I have to buy some lemongrass and make them soon!

      Reply
      • Joyce says

        December 08, 2017 at 2:25 pm

        Hope you enjoy it! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Maria @ kitchenathoskins says

      March 31, 2017 at 7:54 am

      I'm so glad that I stumbled upon your blog:) Stunning photography and flavorful recipes. I'm so in love with these meatballs right now and want to gobble up the whole thing. I've never been lucky enough to find lime leaves in the Chinese grocery stores though!

      Reply
      • Joyce says

        April 03, 2017 at 10:34 am

        Welcome! I am so glad you're here Maria! 🙂 Thank you so much for your kind words 🙂 Meatballs are such an easy and versatile food right? haha I gobble them up as well as I pull them out of the frying pan haha 🙂 I think lime leaves are a hit and miss depending on where you live. If you absolutely must must buy it, you can find them online dried but honestly you can omit them as well. They have a unique flavour that you can't really substitute for - maaaaaaaybe a little bit of lime zest could somewhat pull it off but I think the lemongrass has so much flavour alone that it's okay to omit the lime leaves!! 😀

        Reply
    7. Erica says

      March 28, 2017 at 8:06 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! All the different flavors in this recipe sound amazing. I really need to expand my horizons and this sounds like a perfect recipe to start with, thanks!

      Reply
      • Joyce says

        April 03, 2017 at 10:24 am

        Thanks Erica! Hope you have fun with this! 🙂

        Reply
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