Khao Piak Sen (Lao Rice-Powder Noodle Soup)

📷 · Vientiane Khao Piak Sen photo by Spencer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Soup · Laos · Vientiane

Khao Piak Sen (Lao Rice-Powder Noodle Soup) 🍜

Name: Khao Piak Sen (Lao Rice-Powder Noodle Soup)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 2-4 servings
Cuisine: Lao
Ingredients: Noodles: 100 g rice flour, 50 g tapioca starch, 250 ml water, pinch of salt; 1.5 L pork bone or chicken stock; 250 g pork shoulder, thinly sliced; 1 lemongrass stalk; bruised; a few kaffir-lime leaves (optional); 2 spring onions, sliced; Toppings: mint, cilantro, saw-tooth coriander, lime wedges; Fish sauce and a pinch of salt for the broth; chili oil to serve

The bowl Vientiane's mornings run on: chewy sheets of fresh rice slurry — no noodle press, just tapioca-thickened batter spread, rolled and sliced — floating in a slow pork-and-herb broth, finished with torn mint, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. The noodles are the whole point: slippery, heavy and faintly sweet, the texture you can't get from dried rice noodles.

Luang Prabang–Vientiane corridor Lao ⏱ 75 min Medium

Method

1

Whisk rice flour, tapioca, salt and water into a lump-free batter. Spread 3 mm thin on an oiled plate, steam 4–5 minutes until set, cool, then roll and slice into wide, soft ribbons.
2

Simmer stock with lemongrass; season with fish sauce. Poach the sliced pork in the hot broth until just cooked — tender, no boil.
3

Divide the fresh noodles among deep bowls, ladle boiling broth over to warm them through, then the pork.
4

Finish generously with herbs torn raw on top and lime to taste. The herbs are seasoning, not garnish.
5

Take it hot with chili oil on the side. It's eaten for breakfast, at speed, standing if necessary.

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Khao Piak Sen (Lao Rice-Powder Noodle Soup) 🍜

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