Cooking in
Oregon
Thai · Isaan
Larb Ped — Duck Larb / ลาบเป็ด
Duck larb is the most richly flavoured of the larb family — the rendered fat from duck skin and the mineral depth of duck liver combine to create a dressing that is far more complex than chicken or pork versions. The skin is rendered and crisped separately, then crumbled in as a textural element. The liver is pan-seared quickly to medium-rare and sliced separately — it adds a mineral, ferrous note that deepens the overall flavour. The dressing is the same as Isaan larb: lime, fish sauce, dried chilli, khao khua, mint, and sawtooth coriander — but the duck provides a platform that amplifies rather than just carries these flavours.
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Cook
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
2
Duck legs
skin removed and reserved, meat minced while warm
Not yet stocked in Oregon
150 g
Duck liver
sinew trimmed
Not yet stocked in Oregon
200 g
Duck skin
from the legs, rendered until crispy, then crumbled
Not yet stocked in Oregon
3 tbsp
Lime juice
freshly squeezed
Your own market
2 tbsp
Fish sauce
Your own market
2 tbsp
Khao khua (toasted rice powder)
extra quantity to absorb the richer duck fat
Not yet stocked in Oregon
1 tsp
Dried chilli flakes
or to balance
Not yet stocked in Oregon
1 small bunch
Mint
leaves picked
Origin · New ZealandNot yet stocked in Oregon
1 small bunch
Sawtooth coriander
finely sliced
Not yet stocked in Oregon
60 ml
Duck bone broth
skimmed; made from the reserved duck bones
Not yet stocked in Oregon
II
The Method
1
Place the duck skin flat in a cold pan and set over a low heat, starting cold so the fat beneath the skin has time to liquefy gradually rather than seizing and leaving the skin chewy and pale. Render slowly, pressing occasionally, until the fat is fully released and the skin lies flat, golden, and rigid; drain on a rack and reserve all rendered fat in the pan. The skin is done when it snaps cleanly rather than bending.
2
Raise the heat to high, lay the duck liver into the pan with a film of the reserved duck fat, and sear without moving for 60–90 seconds per side so the exterior takes on deep colour while the centre stays pink and yielding — an overcooked liver turns grey and grainy, contributing bitterness rather than the mineral depth the recipe demands. Remove when the exterior is deeply coloured but the centre yields under light pressure and remains visibly pink when sliced. This is where the dish lives or dies: slice into pieces 5 mm thick and set aside.
3
Cook the duck leg meat — by poaching, roasting, or briefly sautéing in the rendered duck fat — until just cooked through, then mince the meat while still warm so the residual heat allows the remaining fat to integrate into the mince as it is worked. The mince is ready when the fat is visibly distributed throughout and the mass holds together without being wet.
4
Pour the warm duck bone broth over the warm mince in the bowl, keeping both warm so the broth loosens the mince and carries the seasoning evenly through the fat rather than sitting on the surface. Add the rendered duck fat left in the pan, then the fish sauce, lime juice, dried chilli, and khao khua; toss to combine. Taste: the dressing should cut cleanly through the fat — if the richness of the duck dominates, add lime and chilli incrementally until the contrast is dynamic rather than heavy.
From the canon — Fish sauce — nam pla — is the universal salt of the Thai kitchen. Fish Sauce (Nam Pla): Selection and Use →
5
Fold in the mint leaves and sawtooth coriander at the last moment so the leaves stay bright and unbruised rather than wilting against the warm mince. Arrange the sliced liver over the dressed mince and crumble the crisped duck skin across the surface. Serve immediately — the skin should remain audibly crisp when pressed with a spoon.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Whole Challah or Barbary duck: legs for the mince, liver reserved, skin rendered, bones for broth — a complete utilisation of a single animal.
02
Estate — Free-range duck legs with the skin intact, sourced whole; liver purchased separately from the same breed or supplier.
03
Market — Good butcher duck legs, skin on; fresh duck liver from the same counter, trimmed and cooked to order.
04
House — Packaged duck legs with skin; duck liver available; broth made from a concentrated duck stock rather than fresh bones.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. The liver, pressed with a finger at the pan's edge, yields softly and springs back only partially — the interior remains pink; once it feels firm and uniform, it has crossed into overcooked.
◇Sound. The rendered duck skin snaps audibly when broken; a skin that bends silently has not rendered fully and will be chewy rather than textural.
◇Sight. The warm mince, once tossed with broth and duck fat, appears glossy and evenly coated — no dry pockets, no pooling of liquid at the bowl's base.
◇Smell. Once the lime juice and herbs are folded in, the sharp citrus and grassy sawtooth coriander should be immediately dominant on the nose, cutting through the warm rendered-fat aroma — if the fat smell leads, the dressing is insufficient.
◇Where it lives or dies. The liver must be pulled from the pan while the centre remains pink and yielding — once grey, it adds nothing but bitterness to the dish.
Pillar V
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Sake
From Oregon
Bradley Vineyards Elkton Pinot Gris
Bradley Vineyards — Elkton Oregon · Elkton Oregon
Not yet stocked in Oregon
Wine
Without alcohol
Traditional
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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The working kitchen