Laab Tacos

In LA, you can’t walk far without stumbling upon a taco stand that’s offering some of the best tacos you’ve ever had. I was inspired to start my own food cart, Thum and Thum, in the heart of Koreatown. Instead of tacos, though, I sold the kind of street food you’d find in Laos, like spicy, pungent papaya salad bursting with bold flavors. LA’s rich diversity is an exciting playground for culinary innovation, a place where foods from different cultures evolve naturally, and sometimes intermingle. A few years after I started Thum and Thum, this laab taco was born, a product of my love for both Lao food and LA’s taco culture. The crispy rice paper shells are filled with flavorful pork laab and topped with a cooling avocado crema. Each bite perfectly captures my Lao- Cali experience.

Makes 6 Tacos

INGREDIENTS

Taco Shells

• Vegetable oil, for frying

• Twelve (6-inch) round sheets rice paper

Laab Filling

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1½ teaspoons minced garlic

• 1 pound ground pork

  The Lao Kirchen Saengthong Douangdara

• ½ teaspoon MSG

• 1½ teaspoons fish sauce

• 1 tablespoon lime juice

• ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon ground dried bird’s eye chile

• 1 tablespoon roasted sticky rice powder

• 1 tablespoon minced galangal

• ⅓ cup mint leaves

• ⅓ cup minced scallions, white and green parts

• ⅓ cup chopped cilantro, tender stems and leaves

• ¼ cup thinly diced shallot

Avocado Crema

• 2 medium avocados

• (about 9 ounces total weight)

• ¼ cup chopped cilantro, tender stems and leaves

• ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons lime juice

• 1 garlic clove, minced

To Serve

• 2 cups shredded lettuce

• 1 large tomato, diced 6 lime wedges

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the taco shells: Set a bowl of room-temperature water next to the stove. In a large pan, heat 2 inches of vegetable oil to 350°F. Quickly wet two rice paper sheets in the water and let most of the excess water drip off. Stack them together so they stick, then place the stacked rice papers on a taco mold and fry for 40 to 60 seconds, until crispy on all sides. If you don’t have a taco mold, fry the layered rice paper flat for 30 seconds, until it begins to harden. Use a chopstick to lift up the middle of the rice paper round, creating a deep crease. Fry for another 20 seconds to set the shape. Set on a paper towel–lined tray to drain. Repeat with the remaining rice paper to shape 6 taco shells.

Cook the pork: Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the ground pork, sprinkle with the MSG, and sauté for about 5 minutes, breaking up clumps, until fully cooked. Transfer the cooked pork to a large bowl and let it cool for about 10 minutes.

Season the filling: In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce and lime juice. Add this mixture to the cooled pork along with the salt, chile, and roasted sticky rice powder. Stir well to combine. Gently fold in the galangal, mint leaves, scallions, cilantro, and shallot.

Make the avocado crema: Halve and pit the avocados and scoop the flesh into a blender. Add the cilantro, salt, lime juice, and garlic, and blend until smooth and creamy.

Assemble the tacos: Fill each rice paper taco shell with ¼ cup of the laab pork mixture. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, avocado crema, and a squeeze of lime. Serve immediately.

“Reprinted with permission from The Lao Kitchen: Lao Flavors and Stories Told Through Family Recipes by Saeng Douangdara, copyright © 2026. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.”

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