lab kai (spicy ground chicken)

Lab is an easy, quick to make "spicy" dish (it can be, and often is 
fierily hot). I have seen it on Thai restaurant menus in America and 
Britain described as "chicken salad Thai style", which might be the best 
description for this dish. 

It can be made with beef (lab nuea) or pork (lab muu) instead of 
chicken, and it can be made with precooked left-over poultry or meat 
instead. It can even be made with chopped up luncheon meat or something 
like SPAM (tm) ... I leave it to your imagination. However in the part 
of Thailand I live in it is almost always a chicken recipe.ingredients
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2-3 tablespoons of lime juice 
2-3 tablespoons of chicken stock 
2-3 tablespoons of fish sauce (nam pla) 
4-6 teaspoons of prik phom (ground dried red chilis - not "chilli 
   powder" as sold in western supermarkets!) 
1 tablespoon khao koor (ground toasted rice) 
3-4 shallots (purple onions) chopped 
half a stalk of lemon grass very thinly sliced 
1 [kaffir] lime leaf shredded, or 1 teaspoon lime zest 
1-2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced 
1 teaspoon powdered galangal (kha phom - available in most oriental 
   supermarkets) 

4 ounces of chicken 

garnish 
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lettuce, parlsey, sliced raddish and mooli, coriander leaves.method
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Line a serving dish with the lettuce leaves. 

Chop the chicken (in a food processor, or with two cleavers, or get the 
butcher to do it for you...) 

In a fairly high wok, with a very small amount of oil, stir fry the 
chicken until it just starts to turn whitish, then add all the remaining 
ingredients (if using precooked meat, simply add everything to a hot wok 
together), and stir until heated through and the chicken is cooked. 

Serve on the bed of lettuce leaves and garnish to taste. Serve with 
steamed sticky rice (if you prefer you can use jasmine rice) and a dish 
of mixed [raw] fresh vegetables, and the usual Thai table condiments 
(prik nam pla, prik dong, prik phom and sugar). 

The usual way to eat this is to take a small ball of sticky rice in the 
fingers and use it to pick up a little lab, then eat it with the raw 
veggies. You can also use a fork and spoon as a lot of Thais do...