Thai Crispy Rice Salad
Thai Crispy Rice Salad is one of those dishes that delivers contrast and crunch in every bite. It’s bold, zesty, herbaceous, tangy, and deeply savory, thanks to a layered dressing and aromatics. What really takes it over the top is the crispy rice itself, tossed in a red curry paste and baked until golden and crisp—little bites of texture heaven!
Ingredients
For the Crispy Rice:
- 2 cups cooked rice preferably cold or day-old
- 4 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
For the Salad:
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce I used low sodium
- 3 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 limes juiced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ red onion sliced into ½ inch pieces from root to stem
- 1 bunch cilantro leaves chopped
- 1 bunch mint leaves chopped
- 1 bunch scallions sliced
- 3 Persian cucumbers chopped
- ½ cup peanuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven – Set your oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare the crispy rice – In a large bowl, combine the rice, red curry paste, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Toss well or massage the mixture with your hands until the rice is fully coated. Spread it out on your baking sheet.
- Bake the rice – Bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes and rotating the tray for even crisping. When golden and crispy, remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Make the dressing – In the same large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce, lime juice, and honey. Add the minced garlic and red onion slices to marinate while you prep the rest.
- Prep the base – Thinly slice the scallions, chop the cilantro and mint, and chop the cucumbers. Add to a large bowl.
- Assemble the salad – Once the rice has cooled slightly, add it to the bowl with the salad base. Toss everything together with the dressing with onions and garlic. Top with peanuts and serve immediately.