What is Lao chicken noodle soup (khao piek sen)?

Khao piek sen is one of the most popular Lao noodle soups in Laos especially in Vientiane where you can find stalls serving both the noodle and rice versions in the morning. The bowl is filled with freshly hand cut rice tapioca noodles and the broth is a fragrant ginger soup and then its garnished with all your favorite condiments and dipped with khanom kuu (Chinese donut). Below is one of my Lao recipes with different noodle texture variations.

What type of rice flour should I use?

There is some confusion when it comes to the rice flour, so make sure to always use jasmine rice flour for the majority of the mixture. Sticky rice flour will not work as it is too sticky but you can add a little bit of the sticky rice flour for different textures. I suggest getting the rice flour from Southeast Asian markets (specifically the Erawan Brand) as other brands of rice flours don’t work the same.

How to perfectly cut the rice noodles?

If you have the time, you can cut each noodle one by one. Another way to cut the noodles is through a noodle machine attachment like a Kitchen Aid. My preference to cutting khao piek sen noodles is with a handheld cutter as the noodles always come out perfectly. See the recipe below with the link to the perfect noodle cutter to save you time and also impress your friends.

Tips & Tricks in making the best Lao chicken noodle soup khao piek sen

The more you make khao piek sen, the better you will get at it.

• make the best noodles by using boiling hot water and also kneading the dough together very tightly

• don’t add too much water or else your noodles will fall apart

• use bone in chicken pieces as it will help create a delicious chicken bone broth

• freshly fried garlic and shallots make a big difference in the broth

• buy freshly made khanom khuu (Chinese donuts) to save you time