Laotian-style crispy rice salad

A delicious and nutritious dish!

This salad is inspired by the popular Laotian appetizer called Nam Khao, typically made from crumbled, seasoned deep-fried rice balls mixed with all sorts of delicious things and served in lettuce cups. Treat this recipe as a starting point and have fun playing around with the salad ingredients – I’ve made it with diced avocado, sliced mango and slivered red peppers; all were delicious add-ins. Note that you can prepare the components several hours in advance but it’s best not to assemble this salad until you are ready to serve.

Ingredients

Crispy Rice:

• 2 cups (400 g) cooked, chilled jasmine rice, preferably day-old
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil (or tamari, for gluten-free)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon Sambal Oelek (chili-garlic paste)

Salad:

• 1 cup (120 g) thinly sliced Persian or English cucumber
• 1/2 cup (75 g) cooked, shelled edamame
• 1/2 cup (60 g) grated carrot
• 1/2 cup (45 g) shredded cabbage
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• Handful chopped cilantro leaves
• Handful chopped or torn mint leaves

Dressing:

• 1 teaspoon very finely grated fresh gingerroot
• 1 small clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) fish sauce (gluten free, if preferred)
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce (or tamari)
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice 
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) maple syrup or brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Sambal Oelek (chili-garlic paste), or more, to taste

Garnish:

• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts or cashews

Method

• To make the crispy rice, preheat oven to 425F. Place the cooked, chilled rice in a large bowl. To season the rice, shake together in a jar with a tight lid the oils, soy sauce, maple syrup and Sambal Oelek. Drizzle this mixture over the rice and combine it with your very clean hands, squeezing it together to ensure all the rice gets seasoned.   
• Transfer the prepared rice mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spreading in a single layer. Bake in the top third of the oven for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Bake until rice is golden brown and mostly crisped. You can broil for several minutes if needed to finish the crisping process (but watch it the entire time, so it doesn’t burn. When rice is crisped, let it cool to room temperature before assembling salad. Rice can be crisped up to 2 hours before using; just leave it on the baking tray at room temperature.
• While rice is crisping, make the dressing by shaking all the ingredients together in a jar with a tight lid. Taste and add more Sambal Oelek if you like things spicier. Set aside (refrigerate if making hours in advance).
• To assemble the salad, put the prepared vegetables and chopped herbs in a large bowl. Drizzle with about a third of the dressing then toss to blend. Add rice, breaking up any very large clumps if necessary, and toss again, then drizzle on additional dressing, a teaspoon at a time, tossing repeatedly until everything is nicely coated (but stop adding it before you get a big puddle in the bottom of the bowl).
• Garnish with peanuts or cashews and serve.

Makes 2 generous servings; recipe can easily be multiplied.