• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Hot Thai Kitchen
  • Recipes by Categories
  • Kitchen Tips & Ingredients
  • Thailand Vlogs
  • My Cookbooks
  • Newsletter
  • Patreon
  • Shop Ingredients & Tools
  • Find an Asian Grocer
  • Merch
  • About
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes by Categories
  • Kitchen Tips & Ingredients
  • Thailand Vlogs
  • My Cookbooks
  • Newsletter
  • Patreon
  • Shop Ingredients & Tools
  • Find an Asian Grocer
  • Merch
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » All Recipes » Salads

    Thai "Laab" Salad for Your Leftover Roast

    Published: Dec 18, 2020 · Modified: Jul 4, 2023 by Pailin Chongchitnant · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    A grid of 4 images of Thai dishes that use leftover roast. With text: 4 Thai recipes for your leftover roast"

    Laab (it is not laRb, no rolling of the r!) is the perfect way to use up any leftover meat, especially one that's a bit lacking in flavour. Tart, spicy, and fresh; and guaranteed to "fix" any less-than-stellar roast turkey or chicken. Also perfect for using up steak and roast beef as well!

    A plate of Thai roast turkey salad with cucumber and green onions on the side

    Laab is a very basic Thai salad made with a simple dressing of fish sauce, lime juice and roasted chili flakes. The defining element of a laab (and the most delicious part) is the toasted rice powder, which is easy to make using any kind of white rice, though traditionally it is done with Thai sticky rice. It is not laab without toasted rice powder!

    For a true laab you want to have some mint and cilantro, but if you're just trying to make a quick laab using leftovers, throw in any fresh herbs you have on hand. Green onions, dill, oregano or even tarragon would work.

    And laab is always gluten-free and dairy-free, bonus!

    Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

    This recipe is part of the 4 Ways to Thai Up Your Leftovers article. Be sure to check that post out for 3 other leftover ideas!

    All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success! And if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    A plate of Thai roast turkey salad with cucumber and green onions on the side

    Thai Leftover Roast Salad (Laab)

    ★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆ No reviews
    • Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
    • Prep Time: 10 mins
    • Cook Time: 10 mins
    • Total Time: 20 minutes
    • Yield: 1-2 servings
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Use up any leftover roast in a Thai laab, a northeastern Thai salad bright with mint and lime juice.


    Ingredients

    Note: I have provided a small "base" recipe so you can scale up to whatever quantity of leftovers you have. Be sure to scale up all ingredients proportionally; except the chilies, which you just add to taste.

    • 1 Tbsp uncooked white rice
    • Roughly 150 g leftover meat or vegetables
    • 1 Tbsp fish sauce
    • 1 Tbsp lime juice
    • 1 tsp finely chopped palm sugar or light brown sugar 
    • ¼ - ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes, to taste
    • 3 Tbsp finely julienned shallots
    • A big handful of mint and any other fresh herbs you have sitting around; cilantro, green onions, and dill are all good options.
    • Optional for serving: cucumber, crisp lettuce (if you want to make a wrap), rice or sticky rice

    Instructions

    1. Make toasted rice powder: In a dry saute pan, add the rice and cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly until the rice has a deep brown colour. Remove from heat and grind into a powder in a mortar and pestle or using a coffee grinder.
    2. For leftover poultry, shred the meat into small strips. If using roast beef, thinly slice into bite-sized pieces. For roast veggies, cut into bite-sized pieces.
    3. Heat the leftovers up slightly so they are warm or room temp.
    4. In a mixing bowl, combine fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, chilies and shallots; stir until the sugar is dissolved. 
    5. Add the leftovers, toasted rice powder and fresh herbs, and toss until well combined.
    6. Serve with cucumber or lettuce (make a lettuce wrap). Add Thai sticky rice for a truly traditional meal.

    Keywords: leftover, laab, Thai salad, gluten free

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @HOTTHAIKITCHEN on Instagram and hashtag it #HotThaiKitchen!

    More Salads

    • a bowl of glass noodle salad made with mung bean jelly noodles with cucumber and carrots.
      Homemade Glass Noodles with Sesame Soy Dressing
    • A plate of Thai grilled steak salad with sticky rice - nam tok neua
      Thai Grilled Steak Salad - Neua Yang Nam Tok
    • Fried egg salad with tomatoes, onions and celery on a white and blue plate.
      Crispy Fried Egg Salad (Yum Kai Dao)
    • A spoonful of roasted sesame dressing being held over a bowl of dressing. With a green salad on the side. sp
      Japanese Deep Roasted Sesame Salad Dressing

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe rating ★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆
      Recipe Rating




    1. Tina

      June 29, 2021 at 2:37 pm

      What is the purpose of the rice powder?

      Reply
      • Adam The HTK Minion

        July 01, 2021 at 2:56 pm

        Flavour and aroma.

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Connect With Me!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    Image of Pailin

    Sawaddee ka! I'm Pai, a chef, author, and YouTuber. I'm here to demystify Thai cuisine and help you cook great Thai food at home. Want to learn more about me? Here's my story.

    My Latest Cookbook

    Popular Classics

    • Two glasses of Thai tea, one with half and half being poured into it.
      Thai Iced Tea Recipe - Thai vs American Style
    • A plate of chicken satay with a bowl peanut sauce and a bowl cucumber pickle.
      Easy Chicken Satay with "Real" Peanut Sauce
    • a bowl of Thai crab curry stir fry
      Thai Curry Crab: The Hidden Gem of Thai Cuisine 
    • tomato beef stir fry on an oval plate on green napkin.
      Mother-in-Law's Chinese Tomato Beef Stir Fry

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Merch
    • All Recipes

    Newsletter

    Sign Up!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • My Cookbook
    • Patreon

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © Pailin's Kitchen Inc. 2023