Arnold & Anna Myint

Larb Gai (Thai citrus and herb chicken salad)

This came from a copy of Patti’s cookbook that she gave to Anna when she went to college. The inscription reads: “Hi Anna I hope you learn how to cook. I will open you a new restaurant Love Mom.” 

The recipe Mom made was 1 cup of everything. You put the chicken in when it’s warm—it’s almost like getting a facial when your pores open up and your skin can receive all this good stuff. The chicken and all the flavors come together. This is like our chicken salad.

In Thai cooking, sugar is almost used like salt is in America. It’s a condiment that’s set out on the table. And we use crushed rice: raw grains, toasted, and ground in a spice grinder. The first ingredient in Patti’s cookbook was MSG. Monosodium glutamate was definitely a thing. 

We went to Thailand last spring, to eat our way through Thailand. We were building the menu for a James Beard House five-course dinner in New York. 

We like to serve this on the same Corning Ware we used from International Market. Everyone who sees it smiles.