Crunchy, spicy, sour, and bright, the Naem Khao at Thip Khao in Washington, DC, is everything I want to eat forever and ever. The Laotian salad is traditionally made by forming rice seasoned with red curry paste into pucks that are deep-fried until golden brown. The fried pucks are then broken apart and mixed with sour pork sausage, shredded pork skin, lots of herbs, shallots, and a fish sauce dressing.
This weeknight version skips the deep-frying but keeps a similar balance of flavors and textures. In this approach, cooked rice gets crisped in a skillet until golden brown and crunchy and then broken apart and used as the base for the salad. Ground chicken cooked with store-bought curry paste adds depth, while thinly sliced onion, herbs, and a sweet-sour-salty dressing keep things bright. The thin shreds of ginger are a revelation: When soaked in ice water, they become mellow and extra crunchy, less of an accent and more a vegetable in their own right. I highly recommend using cocktail peanuts, which have the utmost roasty flavor with oily, salty skins. —Shilpa Uskokovic
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What you’ll need
Large Nonstick Skillet
$50 At Amazon
Citrus Juicer
$20 $15 At Amazon
Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
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Silicone Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Place 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced, and one 3" piece ginger, peeled, cut into thin matchsticks, in a medium bowl of ice water and let soak while you prepare the chicken and rice.
Step 2
Using your hands, toss 2 cups cooled cooked jasmine rice and half of one 4-oz. can or jar Thai red curry paste (no need to be exact) in a medium bowl to coat. Set aside.
Step 3
Stir 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. fish sauce, and 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. sugar in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved.
Step 4
Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add 1 lb. ground chicken and spread into a thin, even layer; season with kosher salt. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown underneath, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 2 oz. Thai red curry paste and cook, stirring and breaking up into bite-size pieces, until chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with dressing.
Step 5
Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in same skillet. Add reserved rice mixture and press into an even layer. Cook, undisturbed, until golden and crisp underneath, 6–8 minutes. Continue to cook, breaking up rice into large pieces, 1–2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Step 6
Drain red onion and ginger; add to bowl with chicken, along with 1 small serrano chile, thinly sliced, 1 cup salted dry-roasted peanuts, 1 cup (packed) cilantro leaves, ½ cup (packed) mint leaves, and rice. Toss well to combine.
Step 7
Transfer salad to a platter. Serve with lettuce leaves for wrapping and lime wedges for squeezing over.
Recipe notes
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