Crispy Rice Salad With Fresh Herbs
Laos crispy rice salad (nam khao) is a great way to use leftover rice. This popular salad has fresh, tangy, salty, umami flavors and satisfyingly crunchy textures. This recipe is gluten free with a vegan option.
Looking for more crispy rice recipes? Try my spicy tuna with crispy rice, rice paper chips, or crispy rice paper dumplings.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this nam khao recipe (crispy rice salad):
- Cooked jasmine rice – I love white rice. The extra starch yields the perfect crispy texture.
- Cooking oil – either avocado oil or olive oil. This helps the rice crisp up as it bakes.
- Red curry paste
- Persian cucumbers – add a nice crunchy texture and fresh flavor.
- Edamame – for added protein and texture.
- Fresh herbs – fresh mint and cilantro.
- Green onions – also called spring onion.
- Tangy dressing – reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari for gluten free, avocado oil, rice vinegar, fresh lime juice fish sauce, brown sugar or coconut sugar, toasted sesame oil, fresh garlic.
- Crunchy peanuts
How to Make Crispy Rice Salad: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
1. Preheat to 400ºF/200ºC and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix the cooked rice, a bit of oil, and the red curry paste together until well combined.
3. Transfer the rice mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread it into an even layer then bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so it doesn’t burn. Cook until golden brown.
4. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until combined. Season to taste with salt if needed.
5. Make the rest of the salad. In a large serving bowl, add the sliced cucumbers, edamame, chopped herbs, green onions, and chopped peanuts. If serving right away, add the crispy rice and toss with the dressing, to taste. If not serving right away, store the salad, crispy rice, and dressing separately so the rice doesn’t get soggy.
Helpful Tips
- This salad can be enjoyed cold or at room temperature.
- Even though there are salty ingredients in the dressing, you may need to add a little additional salt depending on the saltiness of your particular soy sauce.
Quick Tip: If you like a mix of crispy and chewy rice grains, don’t bake the rice as long.
Storage
Store the vegetables, crispy rice, and dressing separately in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
If you store it dressed, it’s still delicious the next day, but the rice absorbs some of the dressing and loses its crispiness. Adding a little more dressing and more crushed peanuts helps revive the texture and flavor quite a bit!
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this crispy rice salad recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- Don’t like cilantro? – leave it out.
- Add-ins – cooked protein such as shrimp, chicken, salmon, or tofu to make it more filling, romaine lettuce or chopped kale, bell pepper, shredded carrots, bok choy, avocado, red onion or shallot, etc.
- Make it plant based – use Thai kitchen curry paste (or something that doesn’t have fish sauce). The fish sauce gives the dressing a tangy, salty unique flavor so you can either use a vegan fish sauce substitute or leave it out. If you leave it out, you’ll need to season the dressing with more salt to taste and potentially more lime juice or vinegar.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you can make it the same day you make the salad or use leftover cooked rice. Either way is fine.
Unlike traditional Nam Khao recipes that use chile peppers in the dressing, this crispy rice salad is very mild.
Brown rice isn’t as starchy as white rice, so you’ll want to add 2-3 teaspoons of potato starch or corn starch into the cooked rice, oil, and curry paste so that it crisps up more nicely.
While you can, I find it to be a little too messy. If you go with this method, it’s best to use day-old rice that it’s a little drier, which will help it crisp up. You’ll also need to blot the excess oil with paper towels.
Yes. Make sure you lay parchment paper down first so the grains of rice don’t fall through. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may have to do this in batches. Cook at 400ºF for 7-10 minutes, shaking periodically.
You can make some components ahead but wait to assemble the salad until just before serving it for the best texture.
More Crispy Rice Recipes
I hope you love this Crispy Rice Salad! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Crispy Rice Salad With Fresh Herbs
Ingredients
Crispy Baked Rice
- 2 cups cooked Jasmine white rice see notes below about brown rice
- 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
Tangy Umami Dressing
- ¼ cup reduce sodium soy sauce or tamari for GF
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic minced or grated
- diamond crystal kosher salt to taste, optional, depending on the saltiness of your soy sauce
Salad
- 4 Persian cucumbers or 1 large English cucumber sliced into thin half moons (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup shelled edamame
- 1 large handful cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 large handful fresh mint roughly chopped
- 2 green onions, sliced dark and light green parts only
- ⅓ cup chopped peanuts plus more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat to 400ºF/200ºC and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the cooked rice, a bit of oil, and the red curry paste together until well combined.
- Transfer the rice mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread it into an even layer then bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so it doesn't burn. Cook until golden brown.
- Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until combined. Season to taste with salt if needed.
- In a large serving bowl, add the sliced cucumbers, edamame, chopped herbs, green onions, and chopped peanuts. If serving right away, add the crispy rice and toss with the dressing, to taste. If not serving right away, store the salad, crispy rice, and dressing separately so the rice doesn't get soggy.
This was SO good! I had to make a couple of changes based on what I had on hand, but honestly this could have a lot of variations and they’d all be good. I made this a salad with Boston lettuce (with less cucumber), and switched out cashews for the peanuts. Then topped it with Ina Garten’s Asian Salmon. Delicious!