Khao Piak Sen
Thick, chewy hand-pulled rice and tapioca noodles in a rich pork broth finished with fried garlic oil — a Lao staple, distinct from Vietnamese pho's thinner broth and dried flat noodles.
Meat
⚠ Contains: Fish. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork ribs
- 8 cups water
- 1 onion, halved
- 2 cups rice flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 3/4 cup hot water, for the noodle dough
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced, fried in oil until golden (oil reserved)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- Fish sauce, to taste
- Sliced scallions, cilantro, crispy shallots, and lime wedges, to serve
Steps
- Simmer the pork ribs with the onion in the water for about 1.5 hours, until the broth is rich and the meat is tender. Season with fish sauce and black pepper.
- Mix the rice flour and tapioca starch with the hot water into a smooth, pliable dough.
- Roll pieces of the dough into thin ropes by hand, pulling and stretching them directly into a pot of simmering water to cook, about 2-3 minutes until they float.
- Drain the cooked noodles and divide among bowls.
- Ladle the hot pork broth and meat over the noodles.
- Drizzle with the fried garlic oil and top with scallions, cilantro, crispy shallots, and a squeeze of lime.