لاب جاي

Sharp, hot and herbal, the kind of plate that wakes you up halfway through a Bangkok lunch.

• Minced chicken, cooked fast so it stays loose.
• Toasted rice, ground coarse for a nutty crunch.
• Red onion and mint, cut fine, tossed in raw.
• Chili and lime, squeezed at the last minute.

This is Isaan cooking, the food of the northeast, where larb is built on heat and acid rather than coconut or curry paste. The chicken goes into the pan briefly, then comes off the heat and gets dressed while it is still warm, so it takes on the lime and the chili instead of sitting in them. The toasted rice goes in last and does the work people remember, giving every spoonful a little grit and a toasted smell. It is hot, so order a bowl of sticky rice alongside. Contains: fish. Gluten-free.