Khao Piak Sen is a Laotion chicken noodle soup. In addition to chicken and noodles, the soup is typically made with broth derived from chicken or pork bones flavored with fish sauce, onions and aromatic herbs like ginger, lemongrass, kaffir leaves and galangal.
The chicken is then cooked in the broth until tender. The noodles are placed into a bowl and topped with the hot broth and garnished with herbs like cilantro and green onions.
Khao Piak Sen roughly translates in English to ‘wet rice noodles’. The noodles are gluten free and are made using a combination of rice and tapioca flour. Usually handmade, they are thick, hefty noodles. Khao means rice while sen means noodle.
The variation of khao piak sen using the same broth but rice instead of noodles is called khao piak khao.
Origin & Cultural Significance
Khao Piak Sen originated in Laos but is also popular in Cambodia and Isan – the region of Thailand that borders Cambodia and Laos. It’s usually eaten for breakfast but also as a late night snack after partying. It’s also reserved for less happy times like funerals when mourners share a bowl of khao piak sen.
Laotian Khao Piak Sen Recipe
Khao Piak Sen is a Laotian chicken noodle soup. In addition to chicken and noodles, the soup is typically made with broth derived from chicken or pork bones and flavored with fish sauce, onions and aromatic herbs like ginger, lemongrass, kaffir leaves and galangal.
Ingredients
Noodle Dough
- Tapioca flour - 1 ½ cup
- Rice flour - 1 cup
- Boiling water - 2 cups
Broth
- Chicken thighs - 6
- Chicken breast - 1
- Cilantro stems (leaves removed) - 6
- Onion - 1
- Ginger medallions - 6 slices
- Kaffir lime leaves - 4
- Lemongrass heads (smashed) - 3
- Chicken bouillon - 4 cubes
- Water - 4 quarts
- Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
Garnishes
- Cilantro (chopped)
- Green onion (chopped)
- Fried shallots - to taste
- Soy sauce- to taste
- Fish sauce - to taste
- Lime wedge – to taste
- Black pepper - to taste
Instructions
Broth
- Add the water to a pot and bring it to a boil.
- Meanwhile, peel the onion then char the onion on the stove.
- Once the water boils add the cilantro, onion, ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, gangal, chicken boullion, chicken breast, and chicken thighs.
- Lower to medium-high heat.
- Skim off any excess fat and froth from the chicken during the simmering process.
- While the water is simmering begin making the noodles.
- After an hour, remove the chicken from the broth, place it in a bowl, and allow it to cool.
- Shred the chicken by hand and set aside.
Noodles
- Mix the the rice flour and tapioca starch in a mixer bowl.
- Add the boiling water into the bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Let cool just slightly.
- Quickly roll the dough into softball sized spheres.
- Roll the spheres out into ¼ inch thick.
- Dust the dough with the tapioca flour, and cut the noodles to desired thickness.
- Once cut, sprinkle more flour on top of them and set on a tray.
- Dust with the tapioca flour to prevent sticking.
- If making a large batch, cover it with a damp towel to keep the noodles from drying out. Continue for the remaining dough.
- When the broth is ready, get out a separate smaller pot .
- Add the broth and bring it to a rolling boil.
- Next, add the rice noodles directly into the chicken broth and allow it to cook for 2 minutes or until the noodles float to the top of the pot. Do not over cook or the noodles will become fragile and break.
- Transfer the khao piak sen into a serving bowl.
- Garnish with fried shallots, cilantro, green onion, fried shallots, black pepper, and 2-3 dashes of soy sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 611Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 184mgSodium: 1275mgCarbohydrates: 69gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 41g
Nutrition is provided and calculated by Nutritionix. It is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimation.