Larb is typically made of ground meat and lots of scallions and fresh herbs such as mint and cilantro. It is dressed with lime juice, fish sauce, dried chili flakes, and the most important ingredient of all: toasted rice powder. Here, I'm doing this method with mushrooms to mirror the robust umami. 

Mushrooms and their fungi networks are critical to soil health, providing necessary nutrients and water to plants that are often removed by conventional tilling and pesticides. You can use any mushrooms of your choice, and a mix is lovely.

Ingredients

• 1-inch (2.5 cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

• Juice of 2 limes

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon honey

• 4 Thai chilis, stemmed and thinly sliced

• 3 green cabbage or sturdy lettuce leaves

• 8 ounces (230 g) mushrooms

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil or Bright Green yuzu kosho oil

• 1 shallot, finely diced

• 1 lemongrass stalk, outer leaves removed, finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 1 tablespoon Toasted Rice Powder

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 mint sprigs, leaves picked

• 2 Thai basil sprigs, leaves picked

• 1 scallion, thinly sliced

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk half of the grated ginger with the lime juice, soy sauce, honey, and chilis. Set the dressing aside.

Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. If you are using green cabbage, cut the head in half through the core, remove the limp outer leaves, and carefully peel off three perfect sturdy leaves. Place them in the ice bath to firm up until ready to eat. If using lettuce, peel off three large leaves and dunk them in the ice bath to firm up before drying with a towel. Let these sit while you prepare the filling.

Pulse the mushrooms in a food processor or chop until you have pea-size pieces. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the remaining ginger and the mushrooms, shallot, lemongrass, and garlic. You are not looking to get color on anything here, you just want to sauté until the mushrooms are cooked through and the mixture is well combined. Season with the toasted rice powder and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the mixture to a towel-lined plate to drain.

If using cabbage, remove it from the ice bath and dry with a towel. Divide the mushroom filling among the three dry cabbage or lettuce leaves. Pour a little dressing over each larb cup, then garnish with the mint, Thai basil, and scallion. Serve with the remaining dressing on the side.