Larb Salad Lettuce Cups

Chef Lon Symensma, ChoLon Modern Asian

Chef Lon Symensma’s Thai Brussels Sprouts are a staple at ChoLon Modern Asian, featured on the menu since day one and inspired by a traditional Southeast Asian larb-style preparation he encountered during his travels in Laos.

Drawing from the flavors of a classic larb salad, typically made with ground meat, herbs, and roasted rice powder, Chef Lon reimagines the dish using Brussels sprouts, in his take on the popular Laotian and Thai minced meat dish known for its spicy, tangy, and herbal flavors.

The dish is built on layers of flavor and texture. Ground pork is sautéed with aromatics like shallots, scallions, and chili, then balanced with fish sauce, lime juice, and rice vinegar in a classic nước chấm to achieve the signature Southeast Asian flavor profile: a harmonious balance of hot, sour, salty, and sweet. Herbs such as Thai basil, mint, and cilantro bring brightness, while roasted rice powder adds a nutty crunch that ties everything together.

For Chef’n It, Chef Lon modifies the restaurant dish to a more traditional presentation, serving the mixture in lettuce cups for a hands-on, shareable experience perfect for entertaining. The result is a dish that is vibrant, textural, and a reflection of how global inspiration can be transformed into something both familiar and entirely new.

Like much of Chef Lon’s cooking, the dish is rooted in curiosity and respect for tradition, while inviting home cooks to experiment and adapt with new ingredients and flavors in their own kitchens.

Learn more about Chef Lon Symensma.

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Active Time:
25 Minutes

Total Time:
30 Minutes

Quantity:
Makes ~8 lettuce cups

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Ingredients:

Nước Chấm

  • ¼ cup sugar 

  • ¼ cup water 

  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced

  • ½ jalapeño, finely chopped

  • ¼ cup fish sauce

  • juice of 1 lime

  • ¼ cup rice vinegar

Marinated Pork

  • 1 lb ground pork shoulder

  • 2 oz oyster sauce


Larb Salad

  • ½ cup Jasmine or sticky rice

  • 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced 

  • 1 medium shallot, minced

  • 4-5 scallions, whites separated and thinly sliced

  • ½ lb Brussels sprouts, shredded

  • ½ lb red cabbage, shredded (about ¼ head)

  • 3-4 Makrut lime leaves, finely minced

  • 3-4 stalks mint, leaves picked 

  • 3-4 stalks Thai basil, leaves picked 

  • ¼ bunch cilantro, picked, keeping stems

  • 1 head romaine lettuce, leaves separated

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Directions:

Roast the Rice Powder

  1. In a spice grinder, small blender cup, or mortar and pestle grind rice into a powder.

  2. Over medium heat, toast rice powder in a dry pan, shaking and stirring often until it is golden-brown and has a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to prevent overcooking.

Make the Nước Chấm

  1. In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, vinegar, fish sauce, garlic, and jalapeño. Over medium heat, stir continuously until sugar has dissolved completely.

  2. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.

Make the Filling

  1. Mix pork and oyster sauce.

  2. Heat 2 tbsp of neutral oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until shimmering and nearly smoking. Add ground pork, pressing into a flat disc to maximize contact with the bottom of the pan. Add scallions, shallot, and ginger on top of pork. Allow pork to cook without stirring until bottom is browned and well caramelized, about 3 minutes. Break pork up and stir to combine aromatics. Add sauce and bring to a simmer. 

  3. Add 2 tbsp of roasted rice powder and stir for a minute or two, allowing sauce to thicken. Add more rice powder as needed until sauce is still wet, but sticky enough to hold mixture together in lettuce cups.

  4. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and add minced Makrut lime leaf, stir to combine.

  5. In a separate bowl, combine shredded Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, and a couple spoonfuls of the liquid from the pork mixture.

Notes:

  • When adding rice powder to the mixture, it will take a minute or two to thicken. Allow it to release its starches before adding more.

Assemble the Lettuce Cups

  1. In the cup formed by a lettuce leaf, add a spoonful of cabbage mixture, and layer with mint, cilantro, and Thai basil. 

  2. Add a spoonful of pork mixture and sprinkle with roasted rice powder.

  3. Enjoy immediately!