This crispy rice salad is my new favourite salad—I don’t suppose I’ve ever liked one as a lot.
To start with, there are an abundance of herbs (mint, cilantro, shallot, and cucumber) and papery skinny greens. Put in additional, additional, additional!).
Secondly, there’s a formidable heap of clumpy fried golden curry jasmine rice. The skin is golden and crisp, whereas the within is delicate and barely chewy, permitting the flavorful lime, garlic, and salty French dressing to seep in. the mere considered it makes me drool.
With none extra protein, I can hurl some crushed peanuts at this factor and be fully content material. Nonetheless, I might counsel the air fryer hen or the air fryer salmon right here in case you are the kind of one who likes so as to add some additional protein to the combination ( what I’m going to say!). Each are glorious, and we’ve got accomplished each.
This salad is a spin on Nam Khao, a Laotian appetizer salad the place the rice is damaged up and served on a platter with lettuce cups after being fried into balls with fermented sausage. Since I had a style of this at Hai Hai a couple of yr in the past, I’ve been contemplating making it myself. It was glorious. Then, identical to clockwork, Molly Yeh uploaded a video to her channel displaying tips on how to make crispy rice in an air fryer! Sensible. And that’s how we ended up right here, prepared for summer season 2024 with an entire new obsession with salad.
Get your herbs and dressing prepared.
Mix the dressing and finely chop the salad components. I take pleasure in slicing the shallots and cucumbers with a mandoline.
Stir the curry paste into the rice.
Mix the rice, pink curry paste, and a small quantity of oil. I want the feel of the air fryer to be considerably sticky and moist, permitting it to be squeezed into free chunks. With a view to give the rice some life whether it is dried out or has been sitting round for a couple of days, I’d add a tablespoon or two of water and probably some cornstarch.
Place the rice within the air fryer in a lump.
Certainly, clump it. Merely prepare the sticky rice within the air fryer in a single layer. You do not need each single grain of rice to be separated, however additionally they should not have to be balls. Merely stuff it in there.
Air-fry the rice!
I cook dinner it for about 8 minutes at 420 levels till the sides are crispy and golden brown! (If you don’t personal an air fryer, the notes embody different choices.) Discover the way it types clusters in a means? As soon as it’s completed, switch rice chunks to your salad bowl! It should seem as follows:
Toss It Out!
Combine the rice and greens with the dressing.
You could have completed! Tastes nice!
Actually? I believe this can be my all-time favourite salad.
Crispy Rice Salad That includes Herbs and Cucumbers
It makes two giant salad servings (however you have to additional dressing to serve it once more).
Overview
Crispy-fried pink curry rice, a mattress of paper-thin greens, a sprinkling of herbs, and a French dressing with a touch of lime and garlic. I need to eat nothing however this crispy rice salad proper now!
Elements
The Very Wonderful Dressing:
a 1/2-inch knob of recent ginger or a spoonful of ginger paste (be aware 1)
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons avocado oil or one other impartial oil
1/4 cup lime juice (3-4 small limes)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon chili crisp (extra for spicier)
Crispy Rice Salad:
2 cups cooked jasmine rice (be aware 2)
2 tablespoons avocado oil
2 teaspoons pink curry paste
2 teaspoons cornstarch (optionally available)
half an English cucumber, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 shallot, thinly sliced or minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 bunch mint, roughly chopped or torn (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
chili crisp to style
Directions
Dressing: Blitz all the things up in a blender or meals processor to make this SUPER yummy, punchy sauce.
Crispy Rice: Toss the rice in a bowl with the oil and curry paste. If it’s not sticking collectively whenever you squeeze it, add the cornstarch and get your palms moist to combine it once more (this occurs if the rice is pre-cooked or a number of days outdated). Squeeze it into free, squishy chunks and switch to the air fryer in a single layer. Air fry at 400 for 7-9 minutes, till golden and crisped. (See Notice 3 for different strategies; I discover the air fryer to be quickest and most handy!)
You’re Completed! Yum! Break the crispy rice aside into little, golden, pleasant chunks. Toss with about half of the dressing and nevertheless many veggies you need. Garnish it with some peanuts and chili crisp if you need. I imply, truthfully. Wow. That is so good.
Notes
First be aware in regards to the ginger: I simply throw it within the blender with the opposite components for the sauce, no want to cut or grate it. I’ve additionally used lemongrass paste right here and it’s scrumptious!
Notice 2 on Cooking the Rice: Day-old cooked rice is used within the majority of crispy rice recipes. To be trustworthy, I’ve not felt the necessity for this—perhaps I’m simply lazy. That is how I cook dinner rice in my On the spot Pot: I put two cups of rinsed jasmine rice into two and a half cups of water, cook dinner on excessive strain for 3 minutes, after which let the strain naturally launch for fifteen minutes. Often, I simply make this, fry up some for the salad that day, and save the rest for an additional salad later within the week.
Notice 3a on Oven Methodology: You need to “fry” the rice within the oven for those who should not have an air fryer. Bake it close to the highest of the oven (nearer to the heating aspect) at 425 levels for about 8 to 10 minutes. It should stay chewy on the within and get crispy on the skin.
Notice 3b on Skillet Frying: Whilst you can fry this rice in oil in a skillet, I don’t suggest it as a result of: a) it will get messy; and b) it is advisable to begin with a lot drier rice to ensure that it to crisp up. It’s best to make use of day-old rice, which needs to be fried till golden and crispy in about 1/4 cup of impartial oil. To verify the rice is sufficiently dry to fry nicely, some recipes even counsel drying it out within the oven. It is a deal-breaker for me. Too many phases in a single go. Haha. It’s possible you’ll discover that you don’t want as a lot dressing as a result of your completed rice will most likely be oilier than it might be with the opposite two strategies.
Often Requested Questions for This Crispy Rice Salad!
Sure. Coat the rice with the curry paste and oil, layer it in clumps on a baking sheet, and bake at 425 for quarter-hour on a rack in the direction of the highest of the oven. It’ll get a dried, crisped exterior, however the within the clumps will likely be chewy and delicate. Scrumptious.
I examined this with brown rice, and sure, it labored nicely! It simply wanted a little bit of the cornstarch (famous within the directions of the recipe card) to assist it stick collectively properly.
Sure, however in our testing, it undoubtedly didn’t clump as a lot, and it got here out extra as particular person crispy grains vs. these crispy sticky clumps I like a lot.
Probably not. That is one which they’re not loopy about, in order that they get all of the elements of the salad deconstructed! Peanuts, cucumbers, some mint leaves for sampling, and—their favourite—plain jasmine rice.
It’s finest to retailer all the things individually and crisp up the rice simply earlier than serving. That stated, I’ve saved it this manner for some make-ahead lunches, and the rice texture will get a bit extra chewy within the fridge, however I didn’t hate it. Actually, I nonetheless very a lot liked it.
The standard Lao salad (nam khao tod) is a bit spicy because it usually has each roasted and recent chiles. However this model of a crispy rice salad is fairly delicate, and if you need it to be extra spicy, you’ll be able to add extra chili crisp or throw some chiles within the combine. My 5-year-old eats this and enjoys it!
Crispy rice salad is scrumptious with shrimp, salmon, or hen. Pulled chunks of rotisserie hen are a simple go-to in our home. We additionally rely closely on the air fryer hen and air fryer salmon for a second like this! We now have an air fryer tofu recipe that’s SO good, however I’m not sure it’s the right fit for this recipe simply because it has extra of a “fried” texture that seems like it might compete with the rice. I don’t know. When you’re vegetarian, you’ll be able to strive it and let me know.
The one factor within the salad that’s not vegetarian is the fish sauce and (generally) the curry paste. I take advantage of Thai Kitchen pink curry paste, which is of course vegan. For a fish sauce sub, you may strive making your individual fish sauce. Soy sauce or coconut aminos would even be a attainable substitute; it wouldn’t have the identical taste however would work in the same means because the salty a part of the dressing. It’s possible you’ll have to dilute the dressing a bit if it’s too robust, relying in your particular soy sauce.
Sure, this recipe is gluten-free. It’s possible you’ll need to affirm that your jasmine rice is licensed gluten-free as there might be cross-contact contamination, and you might also need to test the label on the fish sauce and the curry paste simply to substantiate that these are gluten-free as it may range from model to model. However all the opposite components within the salad are naturally gluten-free.
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