one-pot thai-style rice, pork & green beans

with or without a fried egg!

The inspiration for this week’s recipe is Thai larb (or laab), an insanely delicious ground meat salad that’s filled with fresh herbs, saucy flavor, and a kick of spice. It’s typically served with a side of sticky rice and crunchy vegetables, but here we’re combining all those separate parts into one perfect pot of food that’s ready in less than 45 minutes.

I’ve written this using pork, but you can swap in any ground meat you want/have in the fridge or freezer (thaw it first, if you’re working with frozen meat). Chicken, turkey, duck, beef — all would be fab. This would also be great with a vegetarian ground meat substitute or a block of firm tofu crumbled up in the pot.

We start by browning the meat along with some garlic and shallot, then add in water and sauces, bring them to a boil, and cook the rice. When it’s done, you’ll top the rice with fresh green beans and return the lid, letting them steam until crisp-tender. Stir in some fresh basil and it’s good to go.

There’s also an optional element that you can take or leave: a fried egg! The runny yolk melds all the elements together so well, and it adds some extra protein to your plate. But if you’re not a fried egg person (I know runny yolk’s a big ick for some of you) — or you can’t bring yourself to use another pan — you’ll still have a perfectly complete meal without it.

Bird’s eye chilis — also called Thai chilis — are small and either green (a little milder) or red (fully ripe and spicier). Here’s a visual of what you’re shopping for.

They’re quite spicy, so if you or your fam aren’t into that, you can swap it for a milder fresh pepper like serrano (one notch down from Thai chili) or jalapeño (one notch down from serrano). If you’re obsessed with spice and want it as spicy as possible: habanero.

Here’s a little heat map of chili peppers most commonly found at the grocery store (there are others, but we’re just going to cover the basics!):

FROM SPICIEST TO MILDEST:

• Habanero 🔥🔥🔥🔥

• Thai/bird’s eye 🔥🔥🔥

• Serrano 🔥🔥

• Jalapeño 🔥

Another way to adjust the heat level when using fresh peppers is to include or discard the seeds and their pith, or the white part that suspends them in the pepper. Seeds and pith = hotter; no seeds and pith = less hot.

If you don’t want to mess with a fresh pepper or can’t find one, another great option is to use chili-garlic sauce or a hot pepper paste like gojuchang. Or if you want the heat level to be customizable from person to person, just omit from the recipe and top individuals’ bowls with as much sriracha or red pepper flakes as they want.

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one-pot thai-style rice with pork & green beans

Serves 4

Cook time: 45 minutes