Nam Khao - Laotian Crispy Rice Salad

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Nam Khao, or more specifically Nam Khao Tod

Literally:

   Nam = is a Lao-style Vietnamese fermented raw pork sausage (Nem Chua or Som Moo in Lao).
   Khao = rice
   Tod= fried​

We’re excited to introduce you to our version of Nam Khao, a crispy rice salad made famous in the Tha Deua region of Vientiane, Laos. Already found at street side stalls and restaurants throughout Laos, Nam Khao’s popularity is spreading throughout Thailand by way of ethnic Lao migrants from the Northeast Isan region and throughout the West via the Lao diaspora community.

Nam Khao is the perfect combination of taste and texture — starting as rice balls seasoned with red curry paste, deep fried to achieve a crunchy and crispy outer layer, then coarsely crumbled by hand and mixed with fresh ingredients, lime juice and nam. The finished Nam Khao can be eaten "fried rice style" or as the filling for a lettuce wrap.

Nam can be found at various Asian markets but may not be available in your immediate area, so our version of Nam Khao can be made with prosciutto. We’ve also baked rather than fried our rice balls, as part of our mission to bring you a healthy way to achieve delicious traditional taste.

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Ingredients
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• 3 cups rice (dry measurements)
• Chicken broth

• 6-7 Kafir lime leaves
  
• 2 tbsp Jeow Bong
• 2 tsp red curry paste
• 4 large eggs
• 200g coconut flakes
• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 stalk of lemongrass
• 6 stalks of cilantro (coriander)
• 6 green onions
• ½ purple onion
• 1 Lime, juiced
• A handful of Peanuts

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Instructions

Cook rice with chicken broth. While it is cooking, prepare all the fresh ingredients.

Thinly slice the lemongrass and green onion, chop the purple onion and cilantro.
Stack the kafir lime leaves on top of each other and thinly slice crosswise (perpendicular to the vein that runs through the middle)

When the rice is finished cooking, allow to cool to almost room temperature, and then scrape the bottom of the pot to incorporate all the crunchy bits at the bottom.  Put the rice into a large mixing bowl and add in the eggs, red curry paste, Jeow Bong, coconut flakes, and ½ of the Kafir Lime leaves (save the rest as part of the fresh ingredients the end). Mix it all until evenly distributed and the rice and coconut flakes are even coated red.

Roll it into a ball, about 2” in diameter. The size is not critical, it is just a rough guide. The smaller the ball, the more crispy bits you will end up with in the dish. Make sure you pack them tight, but not to the point that you are smooshing the rice.

Traditionally the balls are deep fried until golden brown and crispy on the outside. We bake it on a cookie sheet for 45 min by dipping our hand in a bowl of olive oil and coating the ball before placing it on the cookie sheet.  Cooked the rice balls at 205 C / 400 F until golden and crispy. Flip them every 10 min so that they do not get burned at the bottom.

It should look somewhat like this:

Remove from the oven and let it cool to room temperature (you can leave it on the sheet). Once cool, break the ball up into small pieces with your hands into a mixing bowl.  Throw in your fresh ingredients, a squeeze of lime, and adjust salt to taste.

Roasted peanuts are optional.

Serve as a side dish or the filling of a lettuce wrap