Paper-thin vegetables, herbs, fried, crispy red curry rice, and a layer of sour garlic sauce. This crispy rice salad is all I want right now!
I’ve never enjoyed a salad as much as this crispy rice salad.
First, there are paper-thin vegetables (cucumbers! Shallots!) And a whole bunch of herbs (mint! Coriander! Add more, more!)
Second, it was a beautiful pile of golden-red curry jasmine rice, crisp and golden on the outside but soft on the inside. It was carb enough to absorb some of the lime, garlic, salty vinaigrette, and all the flavors.
Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
I’m thrilled that I can throw some broccoli on this and not need any other protein. But if you’re the kind of person who wants some extra protein in the mix (you know what I’m going to say!), I recommend air-fried chicken or air-fried fish. We did both; they’re all great.
The salad is a riff on Nam Khao, a Laotian appetizer-style salad in which rice is fried into balls with fermented sausage, broken apart, and served on a large platter with lettuce cups. I tried a version at Hai Hai about a year ago, and I’ve been thinking about trying to do it ever since. That’s great. Then (it’s fate!) Molly Yeh recently posted a video about making crispy meals in an air fryer! Genius. And that’s where we end up, in the summer of 2024, with a new obsession with salads.
Welcome to my home! Let’s make a crispy rice salad.
1. Prepare seasonings and herbs.
Toss the dressing and chop up the salad ingredients. I like to roast cucumber and shallots with mandala.
2. Mix the rice with the curry paste.
Combine the rice with a bit of oil and red curry paste. For an air fryer, I like the texture to be sticky/wet enough that you can squeeze it into loose chunks. If the rice is dry or has a few days left, I’ll add a tablespoon or two of water and even a little cornstarch to help rejuvenate it.
3. Crumple up the rice and put it in the air fryer.
Yes, it’s a ball. Place the sticky rice in an air fryer and spread it in a single layer. They don’t have to be spherical, but you don’t want every grain of rice to separate. Pile it over there.
4. Air Fried Rice!
I bake it at 420 degrees for 8 minutes until it’s golden brown and crispy around the edges! (If you don’t have an air fryer, there are other options in the handout.) See how it forms a cluster? When done, scoop the chunks of rice into a salad bowl! It looks like this:
5. Throw it up!
Stir the vegetables and rice together with the dressing.
6. You’re done! YUM!
Take it seriously. This is my favorite salad I’ve ever made.
- For the dressing: Blend everything in a blender or food processor to make a delicious, spicy sauce.
- Crispy rice: Place the rice in a bowl with the oil and curry paste. If it doesn’t stick when you squeeze, add the cornstarch, wet your hands, and mix again (if the rice is pre-cooked or a few days old). Squeeze it into fluffy clumps, then place it in a layer into the air fryer. Fry at 400 degrees for 7-9 minutes until golden brown and crisp. (See Note 3 for an alternative method – I found an air fryer to be the fastest and most convenient!)
- You’ve done it! Yum! Break the rice into small golden pieces. Add half the dressing and as many vegetables as you want. Garnish with peanuts and chili flakes if you like. I mean, to be honest. Wow. That’s great.
