Can I make crispy rice in the oven?

Yes. Coat the rice with the curry paste and oil, layer it in clumps on a baking sheet, and bake at 425 for 15 minutes on a rack towards the top of the oven. It'll get a dried, crisped exterior but the inside of the clumps will be chewy and soft. Delicious.

Can you use brown rice instead of jasmine rice?

I tested this with brown rice and yes, it worked well! It just needed a bit of the cornstarch (noted in the instructions of the recipe card) to help it to stick together nicely.

Can you use basmati rice instead of jasmine rice?

Yes - but in our testing, it definitely didn't clump as much and it came out more as individual crispy grains vs. those crispy sticky clumps I love so much.

Do you feed this to your kids?

Not really. This is one that they're not crazy about so they get all the parts of the salad deconstructed! Peanuts, cucumbers, some mint leaves for sampling, and - their favorite - plain jasmine rice. :)

Can you make this ahead of time?

It's best to store everything separately and crisp up the rice just before serving. That said, I've kept it this way for some make-ahead lunches and the rice texture gets a bit more chewy in the fridge but I didn't hate it. In fact, I still very much loved it.

Is crispy rice salad spicy?

The traditional Lao salad (nam khao tod) is a bit spicy as it often has both roasted and fresh chiles. But this version of a crispy rice salad is pretty mild - and if you want it to be more spicy, you can add more chili crisp or throw some chiles in the mix. My 5-year old-eats this and enjoys it!

What proteins go well with crispy rice salad?

Crispy rice salad is delicious with shrimp, salmon, or chicken. Pulled chunks of rotisserie chicken is an easy go-to in our house. We also rely heavily on the air fryer chicken and air fryer salmon for a moment like this! We have an air fryer tofu recipe that is SO good, but I'm not sure it's the right fit for this recipe just because it has more of a "fried" texture that feels like it would compete with the rice. I don't know. If you're veg, you can try it and let me know. :)

How can you make crispy rice salad vegetarian?

The only thing in the salad that is not vegetarian is the fish sauce and (sometimes) the curry paste. I use Thai Kitchen red curry paste which is naturally vegan. For a fish sauce sub, you could try making your own fish sauce. Soy sauce or coconut aminos would also be a possible sub - it wouldn't have the same flavor but would work in a similar way as the salty part of the dressing. You may need to dilute the dressing a bit if it's too strong, depending on your specific soy sauce.

Is crispy rice salad gluten-free?

Yes, this recipe is gluten-free. You may want to confirm that your jasmine rice is certified gluten-free as there can be cross-contact contamination, and you may want to also check the label on the fish sauce and the curry paste just to confirm that these are gluten-free as it can vary from brand to bran. But all the other ingredients in the salad are naturally gluten-free.

Crispy Rice Salad with Cucumbers and Herbs Recipe

Name: Crispy Rice Salad with Cucumbers and Herbs
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Laoatian-Inspired
Ingredients: a 1/2-inch knob of fresh ginger, or a spoonful of ginger paste (note 1); 1 clove garlic; 1/4 cup fish sauce; 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons avocado oil, or another neutral oil; 1/4 cup lime juice (3-4 small limes); 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 1/2 tablespoon chili crisp (more for spicier); 2 cups cooked jasmine rice (note 2); 2 tablespoons avocado oil; 2 teaspoons red curry paste; 2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional); 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 taste

Description

Paper-thin veggies, a shower of herbs, a pile of fried crispy red curry rice, and a limey garlicky vinaigrette all over top. This crispy rice salad is all I want to eat right now!

Ingredients

Units Scale

The Very Excellent Dressing:

a 1/2-inch knob of fresh ginger, or a spoonful of ginger paste (note 1)
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons avocado oil, or another neutral oil
1/4 cup lime juice (3-4 small limes)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon chili crisp (more for spicier)

Crispy Rice Salad:

2 cups cooked jasmine rice (note 2)
2 tablespoons avocado oil
2 teaspoons red curry paste
2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional)
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 taste

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Instructions

Dressing: Blitz everything up in a blender or food 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 together when you squeeze it, add the cornstarch and get your hands wet to mix it again (this happens if the rice is pre-cooked or several days old). Squeeze it into loose, squishy chunks and transfer to the air fryer in a single layer. Air fry at 400 for 7-9 minutes, until golden and crisped. (See Note 3 for alternative methods – I find the air fryer to be fastest and most convenient!)
You’re Done! Yum! Break the crispy rice apart into little golden, delightful chunks. Toss with about half of the dressing and however many veggies you want. Garnish it with some peanuts and chili crisp if you want. I mean, honestly. Wow. This is so good.

Notes

Note 1 on Ginger: I don’t grate it or mince it because I just toss it in the the bldner with the rest of the sauce ingredients. I’ve also used lemongrass paste here and it’s delicious!

Note 2 on Cooking the Rice: Most crispy rice recipes call for day-old cooked rice. Maybe I’m just lazy, but honestly, I have not found this to be necessary. I cook the rice in the Instant Pot with this method – for this I do 2 cups of rinsed jasmine rice to 2 1/2 cups water, cooked for 3 minutes at high pressure and rested for a 15 minute natural pressure release. I often just make this, fry up a batch for the same-day salad, and then keep the rest in the fridge for another salad later in the week.

Note 3a on Oven Method: If you don’t have an air fryer, I would recommend “frying” the rice in the oven. Bake it at 425 degrees for about 8-10 minutes near the top of the oven (closer to the heating element). It’ll get crispy on the outside, but stay chewy on the inside.

Note 3b on Skillet Frying: You can fry this rice in oil in a skillet, but it’s not my favorite because a) it’s messy, and b) it requires your rice to be much drier to begin with in order to get it crisped up. You’ll want to use day-old rice, and then fry it in about 1/4 cup of neutral oil until it’s golden and crispy. Some recipes even recommend drying the rice out in the oven to ensure that the rice is dry enough to fry well, which, for me, is a dealbreaker. Too many steps. LOL. Another consideration: your finished rice will likely be more oily than the other two methods so you may find that you don’t need as much of the dressing.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Category: Dinner
Method: Air Fryer
Cuisine: Laoatian-Inspired

Keywords: rice salad, crispy rice salad, crispy rice, salad recipe