Khao Piak Sen (Lao Tapioca Noodle Chicken Soup)
Lao style homemade tapioca noodle is served in aromatic chicken broth. Incredibly comforting and you will learn how to easily make khao piak sen noodles at home too.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 22 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 130 gr tapioca flour ((about 1 cup) plus more for dusting)
- 100 gr rice flour ((about 2/3 cup))
- 250 ml hot boiling water ((about 1 cup))
- 6 cups chicken bone broth (homemade or store-bought)
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 2 lbs, or use chicken breast if you like)
- 1 large onion (papery skin removed)
- 1 large lemongrass stalk (trim off woody ends and bruise with heavy object or use 3 Tbsp lemongrass powder)
- 2 inches galangal root (thinly sliced) (or use 1 Tbsp galangal powder)
- 2 inches fresh ginger (thinly sliced)
- 4 kaffir lime leaves (tear edges to release flavor)
- 1 Tbsp Better than bouillon (or use 1 cube of chicken bouillon)
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce (or more to taste)
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt to taste
- green onion (finely chopped)
- Crispy fried shallots / bawang goreng
- cilantro leaves
Instructions
- 1
Remove papery skin from the onion. Char the onion on the stove until they are lightly charred all over
- 2
Place the chicken broth in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add aromatics, chicken, and seasonings. Bring back to a boil and then lower the heat to let it gently simmer for the next 30 minutes or until the chicken are cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and let them cool down. Strain the stock and discard the solids
- 3
Adjust the taste of the broth by adding more fish sauce and/or sugar or salt as needed to your preference
- 4
When the chicken are cool enough to handle, shred the meat. Cover and set aside
- 5
Make sure you boil at least 300 ml ( 1 1/4 cups) of water. Make sure the water is rolling boil. This is important or your noodle won't turn out right
- 6
Place both types of flour in a large mixing bowl. If you have a stand mixer with dough hook attachment, use this. Pour in the boiling water and knead it. The mixture won't come together just yet. You may need to scrap the side of the mixing bowl halfway. It will continue to form a smooth non-sticky dough. If it's too wet, add a bit more tapioca flour, if it's too dry, add a bit more hot water
- 7
Dust your working surface with tapioca flour. Roll the dough out into about 1/4 inch thick. You can use a knife to cut the noodle, but I find that using pizza cutter is way faster and easier. The noodle has kinda square shape, so cut the noodle about 1/4-inch in width too
- 8
If you plan to cook portion by portion, get a medium saucepan and pour about 2 cups of broth into the saucepan for 1 portion. Otherwise you can bring a large pot of broth you prepared earlier to a boil. Add uncooked tapioca noodles and cook until the noodles turn slightly translucent and float to the top, about 1 minute or less. Don't stir the noodles too much or they will break. The broth will be slightly gooey (because of the tapioca starch). Transfer to serving bowl and proceed to the serving step
- 9
Top with shredded chicken. Garnish with green onions, cilantro leaves, and some fried shallots crisp. Serve immediately