Vermicelli Pork Aubergine Laab

A slightly different take on the popular Thai meat salad dish

by Justina Sullivan
yellow plate on a blue wood table with Asian noodle and meat sauce and fried eggs

Table of Contents

A Thai fusion ‘laab’ bursting with umami and fresh fragrant flavours

In this simple meat and noodle stir-fry, Vermicelli Pork Aubergine Laab brings together beautiful Asian flavours. Crispy fried eggs with a gooey yolk sit proudly alongside the miso-soy noodles. A tangy zesty lime and coriander sauce adds a dimension of freshness.

yellow plate on a blue wood table with Asian noodle and meat sauce and fried eggs

What is Laab?

Laab, or Larb, is a famous dish from the city of Laos in Northern Thailand. In simple terms it translates to a meat salad garnished with fresh herbs. Modern laab is most often made with chicken, beef, duck, fish, pork or mushrooms.

Salty and Sour Sauce

Laab sauce is always a combination of fish sauce, lime juice and fresh herbs. It is served at room temperature along with a bowl of sticky rice or vegetables.

yellow plate on a blue wood table with Asian noodle and meat sauce and fried eggs

Fusion Laab recipe

Some elements remain intact in this recipe for pork and aubergine vermicelli with a twist. Vermicelli noodles are mixed with stir-fried aubergine and minced pork. They are seasoned with soy sauce, maple syrup and sriracha. The salty soy and spicy sriracha are balanced by the maple syrup.

Traditional Laab dressing

A sour lime, coriander and fish sauce is then poured over the laab to give it back to a traditional Thai flavour. Fried eggs complete the dish simply because almost anything tastes better with a fried egg on top.

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Recipe: Vermicelli Pork Aubergine Laab

yellow plate on a blue wood table with Asian noodle and meat sauce and fried eggs

Vermicelli Pork Aubergine Laab

A Thai fusion 'laab' bursting with umami and fresh fragrant flavours
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Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • Oil for frying
  • 500g pork mince
  • 100g vermicelli noodles
  • 1 aubergine
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 spring onion, sliced thin
  • Thai or regular basil leaves

Laab Seasoning Sauce

  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 red chilli
  • 1 tsp sriracha (optional)
  • 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
  • 100 ml light chicken stock

Sour Coriander Lime Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 small clove of garlic, finely minced
  • 1 or 2 small green chilies, minced
  • Handful of coriander chopped fine

Instructions

  • Cook vermicelli noodles according to packet instructions. When soft and pliable, drain and set aside.
  • Combine all Laab Seasoning Sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
  • Combine all Sour Coriander Lime Sauce ingredients and set aside.
  • Cut the aubergine into small pieces. Heat a generous amount of oil in a frying pan or wok and fry aubergine until soft and starting to brown. Season well with salt as you fry.
  • Add pork mince to the aubergine and cook until starting to brown.
  • Add vermicelli noodles to the mince and aubergine. You may want to cut them in half before adding if they are very long.
  • Pour Laab seasoning sauce into the pan and coat pork and noodles well. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes until the sauce absorbs but doesn’t dry out. Remove from the heat.
  • In a separate frying pan, heat some oil and when nearly smoking, crack in eggs. Fry until the edges are crispy but yolk is still runny. Season with salt.
  • Transfer laab to a large serving plate or divide between bowls. Garnish with spring onion and basil leaves. Serve coriander lime sauce in a separate bowl alongside the fried eggs. Pour coriander sauce over the noodles and enjoy!