Crispy Rice Salad
By Sarah EwaldPublished on February 15, 2022
Time
50 minutes
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Sweet-salty Chinese sausage is a good substitute for hard-to-find fermented pork sausage (or you can use ham). You can substitute long-grain white rice for the jasmine rice; do not use basmati. Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more.
Instructions
- Bring water and rice to simmer in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until rice is tender and water has been fully absorbed, about 10 minutes. Off heat, lay clean dish towel underneath lid and let sit for 10 minutes. Spread rice onto large greased plate and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk lime juice, fish sauce, curry paste, sugar, and ginger in large bowl until sugar has dissolved. Stir in shallots and set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook until spotty brown, about 3 minutes; transfer to separate bowl. Wipe pot clean with paper towels.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels. Add peanut oil to now-empty pot until it measures about 1 inch deep and heat over medium-high heat to 400 degrees. Break half of rice into rough 2-inch clusters. Carefully add half of rice clusters to hot oil and cook, without stirring, until light golden brown, about 5 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to maintain oil temperature between 375 and 400 degrees.) Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer fried rice to prepared sheet. Return oil to 400 degrees and repeat with remaining rice clusters; transfer to sheet and let drain for 10 minutes.
- Using your fingers, break fried rice into bite-size pieces. Add fried rice, remaining cooked rice, sausage, cilantro, mint, and scallions to dressing and toss gently to combine. Transfer salad to serving platter and sprinkle with peanuts. Serve.
Time
50 minutesYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Nam khao is a popular Laotian rice salad featuring a plethora of contrasting flavors and textures: crunchy and soft, tangy and salty, spicy and sweet, nutty and herbal. Traditionally, the dish features rice balls deep-fried until they develop a crunchy crust, an appealing contrast to their soft, chewy interior. The balls are broken into pieces and tossed with fermented pork sausage, fresh herbs, peanuts, and a citrusy-spicy dressing. Instead of forming the rice into balls, our homage has you fry half of the cooked rice in clusters until they're light golden and crisp throughout. This creates a rougher surface with crunchier nooks and crannies. Tossing this fried rice with the remaining cooked rice creates an irresistible crunchewy quality.
Before You Begin
Sweet-salty Chinese sausage is a good substitute for hard-to-find fermented pork sausage (or you can use ham). You can substitute long-grain white rice for the jasmine rice; do not use basmati. Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more.
Instructions
- Bring water and rice to simmer in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until rice is tender and water has been fully absorbed, about 10 minutes. Off heat, lay clean dish towel underneath lid and let sit for 10 minutes. Spread rice onto large greased plate and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk lime juice, fish sauce, curry paste, sugar, and ginger in large bowl until sugar has dissolved. Stir in shallots and set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook until spotty brown, about 3 minutes; transfer to separate bowl. Wipe pot clean with paper towels.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels. Add peanut oil to now-empty pot until it measures about 1 inch deep and heat over medium-high heat to 400 degrees. Break half of rice into rough 2-inch clusters. Carefully add half of rice clusters to hot oil and cook, without stirring, until light golden brown, about 5 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to maintain oil temperature between 375 and 400 degrees.) Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer fried rice to prepared sheet. Return oil to 400 degrees and repeat with remaining rice clusters; transfer to sheet and let drain for 10 minutes.
- Using your fingers, break fried rice into bite-size pieces. Add fried rice, remaining cooked rice, sausage, cilantro, mint, and scallions to dressing and toss gently to combine. Transfer salad to serving platter and sprinkle with peanuts. Serve.
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