Naem Khao Reconstructed
Sticky, crunchy, sweet, and savory. Chef Boby Pradachith of Thip Khao serves his version of a Laotian staple that makes day-old rice new again.
illustration: bashel lubarsky
“When you come to this restaurant or go to Laos, you’ve got to have this dish,” says Thip Khao Chef and Co-Owner Boby Pradachith. He and his mother, Restaurateur and Rising Stars alum Seng Luangrath, have been eating naem khao for years. “I grew up having it for dinner with all the ingredients mixed in.” But when Pradachith traveled to Laos in 2018, he usually found that each component—the crispy rice, the sour pork, the fish sauce, chiles, and herbs—were all served separately. “I realized the flavors weren’t as intense,” he says. “At the end of the day, neither way is wrong, but I think the way we incorporate all the ingredients together gives you a lot more textures.” So Pradachith and Luangrath brought their version of naem khao to Thip Khao, using it as an opportunity to repurpose day-old rice (full recipe here). Here’s how it’s done:
photos: will blunt
chef Boby Pradachith
STEP ONE
Day-old jasmine rice is mixed with curry paste, grated coconut, galangal, white peppercorn, dried garlic, dried onion, and eggs. Using day-old rice with less moisture is key to achieving the crispy, crunchy bite, though Pradachith promises that with freshly made rice, “it’ll still be delicious, but it won’t have the texture. It’s totally fine to spread [the rice] out on a sheet tray and let it steam off and cool at room temp.”
STEP TWO
Using his hands, Pradachith forms the rice into pucks that are roughly the size of tennis balls. He drops the rice in the deep fryer and lets it get nice and golden brown on the outside.
STEP THREE
The fried rice balls are crumbled to give each clump its own distinct, jagged shape that is able to remain crispy—“not too fine, so you have inconsistency,” says Pradachith. “Big chunks, little chunks.”
STEP FOUR
The crispy coconut rice is dumped into a big bowl and joined by a funky lime fish sauce dressing followed by sour pork, crushed peanuts, scallion, cilantro, and mint. He uses his hands to gently toss the salad together, making sure not to crush the delicate crispy rice.
STEP FIVE
Pradachith transfers it all to a plate that needs to be served immediately, otherwise the rice will get soggy. Although mostly everything is mixed into the naem khao, Pradachith still opts to serve it with a side of cucumber and lettuce—“green leaf lettuce that you scoop the salad into to make a taco, or you could roll it up and eat it.”
