Omsom Larb Starter Pack Review 2020

At the beginning of the pandemic, it felt like my paycheck-to-paycheck life in New York City had caught up with me: I was spooked by the failures of our health care system, angry at a government that seemed to be prioritizing the economy over human lives, and worried about what would happen if I needed benefits as a noncitizen. I yearned for my home in Australia, which offered plenty of security and welfare, several continents away, but flying from the U.S. seemed irresponsible. I’d never felt so homesick, yet I also didn’t want to make my family actually sick.

Sometime during this hazy malaise, I came across Omsom on Instagram, shared by a friend whose “good brand” radar has never let me down. The kaleidoscopic website was like a mirage in the desert, offering Vietnamese Lemongrass BBQ, Filipino Sisig, and Thai Larb starters (in other words, pre-portioned sauce, aromatic, and seasoning packets that you stir into your own protein and veggies).

Thanks to the addition of Red Boat Fish Sauce and tons of lemongrass, the lemongrass BBQ starter pairs with pork shoulder for a fresh twist on the Vietnamese party staple. The sisig starter, which calls for pork belly and egg, promises an “umami bomb” of chile and tart calamansi (a citrus fruit common in the Philippines). But it was the larb, a fiery minced chicken “salad” finished with nutty rice powder, that lured me in, reminding me of the Thai food I grew up with in Australia. If I couldn’t go home, I figured, I could at least travel via my taste buds instead.

For some background: Due to its proximity to Thailand, Australia is blessed with incredible Thai restaurants. In fact, we have more of them per capita than any other country outside of Thailand. (To put that in perspective: A quarter of Sydney’s restaurants listed in 2014 were Thai.) My after-school snack? A tangy cup of prawn-laced tom yum soup. It’s one of the cuisines I missed most after moving to the U.S., where it’s just not so accessible.

Which is why I was so taken by Omsom’s starter packs. It’s certainly possible to find all the ingredients needed to cook Southeast Asian food in U.S. food stores (or, ahem, on the internet), but the intricate flavor profiles can be really tricky to master and replicate at home—even with the right ingredients. Omsom lets you choose your fresh produce and meat (or tofu!), while making sure you can access all of these cuisines from the comfort of your own quarantine kitchen.

Honoring Asian food is exactly why the brand exists. The name Omsom is rooted in the Vietnamese phrase om sòm, which cofounder Kim Pham says “roughly translates to ‘rowdy or rambunctious.’” Their idea was to flip the phrase on its head, reclaiming these flavors and observing them loud and proud. “No more diluted dishes, no more cultural compromise,” Pham says. “We want to celebrate the multitudes that exist in Asian cuisines, cultures, and communities that are often bastardized or approached in reductionist ways.”

To develop the starters, the Phams (Kim runs the business with her sister and cofounder, Vanessa) sought out game-changing chefs excited to represent their cultures—those running Southeast Asian restaurants that are “pushing the future of these cuisines” in the U.S. Nicole Ponseca of Jeepney created the sisig, Jimmy Ly of Madame Vo is behind the lemongrass BBQ, and Chat and Ohm Suansilphong of Fish Cheeks devised the larb. “Each [chef] has connections to these particular dishes that run deep,” Pham says. “They, like us, understand that modern Asian food doesn’t have to look one way anymore.”

While the dishes certainly promote the cuisines, Pham is careful not to accept the burden of “authenticity,” which she says rests overwhelmingly (and unfairly) on the shoulders of BIPOC chefs. Her north stars are clear: Preserve cultural integrity, amplify creators of these backgrounds, bring “bold flavors into American homes,” and compensate BIPOC contributors fairly for their work. It’s a difference I felt good about, but also one I could taste.

Omsom isn’t a fully fledged meal kit, so I procured my prerequisites keenly when I made the larb at home—ground chicken, scallions, cilantro, shallots, and mint—glad to be told what to do with myself for a while. After the meat simmered gently in a splash of water, I added my starters. The first: a sachet of fish sauce, lime juice, Thai chile, and cane sugar. Then the second: a two-for-one dusting of ground and toasted sticky rice powder, which is both a key ingredient in larb and one that can be pretty hard to come by for home cooks.

As my hands busied, chopping ingredients diligently, picking herbs, and steaming rice, I felt my homesickness dissipating. The directions were straightforward—definitely faster to make than waiting for Thai takeout—and quickly filled my kitchen with the sweet-sour smells I’d been craving. My meal was ready after about 20 minutes, and throughout the process I demurred only once—at the packaging. I do wish Omsom came in larger jars or pouches with instructions, rather than individually packaged (albeit recyclable) bits and bobs. Though I admit the pre-portioned starter packs are what make Omsom so accessible. They’re easy to use but still complex. And that’s exactly the point.

I snuck a spoonful from the frying pan before layering it over sticky rice. The smoky, fiery mix tasted somehow familiar and new. The chicken was tender, soaked through in that characteristic spicy, punchy, and subtly sweet way I’d grown up with. And the fresh cilantro and mint added a grassy freshness. Like most things in life, larb is about balance.

Want to know the best bit? Throughout the four episodes of Insecure I binged afterward, the warm, Thai-chile tingle lingered in my chest. Something like…a hug.

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