Khao Piak Sen | Lao Chicken Noodle Soup
This is a Lao chicken noodle soup also known as khao piak sen. Its a delicious and chewy noodle made with tapioca starch and rice flour. Its commonly eaten in the morning as breakfast.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 3 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- Recipe 1 Standard
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1/3 cup boiling water
- Extra rice flour for dusting
- Recipe 2 Soft
- ⅔ cup rice flour
- ⅓ cup tapioca flour
- ⅓ cup boiling water
- Recipe 3 Sticky
- 1 tbsp glutinous rice flour
- ½ cup tapioca flour
- ⅜ cup rice flour
- ⅓ cup boiling water
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 tbsp garlic, lightly crushed
- 2 tbsp shallots minced
- 1 whole yellow onion
- 1 handful cilantro roots (or cilantro stems)
- 4 thin slices galangal, lightly crushed
- 1 lemongrass stalk lightly crushed
- 4 lime leaves, squeeze with hands
- 1 whole small chicken or 6 chicken thighs
- 3 quarts water
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Garnish: lime, fried garlic, fried shallots, chili oil, more fish sauce to taste, cilantro, green onions, and sriracha
Instructions
- 1
In a large bowl, add the rice flour and tapioca flour then whisk.
- 2
Add boiling hot water to the flour mixture and quickly mix
- 3
The mixture will look dry but keep mixing with the spoon until it is warm enough to touch with your hands
- 4
Knead with the hands and press all the flours together. The dough should be firm. If the dough is crumbly, add a tbsp of hot water and knead until it becomes a ball.
- 5
Sprinkle area with rice flour then roll out the dough and dust with extra rice flour
- 6
Cut off the rough edges then cut in half and half again
- 7
Stack layers on top of each other then cut into desired noodle consistency. Dust with extra rice flour. Wrap in plastic wrap if you’re not cooking it right away.
- 8
Cook noodles for about 2-3 minutes in boiling water
- 9
Prepare the broth aromatics: lightly crush the garlic, minced shallots, halved yellow onion, bruised cilantro roots, bruised galangal slices, bruised lemongrass, lightly squeezed lime leaves.
- 10
Cut up the whole chicken with bone on.
- 11
In the pot, heat the stove on high then add the cooking oil. Add the aromatics; saute the aromatics until lightly golden.
- 12
Add the chicken pieces and saute until the skin browns then add the water before aromatics start burning.
- 13
Season with fish sauce, black pepper, and salt.
- 14
Bring the broth to a boil then let it simmer and cover with a lid for 1 hour.
- 15
Strain the broth out and hand shred the chicken meat.
- 16
Place the cooked noodles into a serving bowl.
- 17
Add the desired amount of broth.
- 18
Garnish with lime, fried garlic, fried shallots, chili oil, more fish sauce to taste, cilantro, green onions, and sriracha