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Khai paen
Crispy river weed sheets
Khai paen (ໄຄແຜ່ນ): Luang Prabang river-weed sheets with sesame and garlic, fried crisp
Along the Mekong and Nam Khan below Luang Prabang, women gather silky green river weed in the dry months, when the water runs low and clear, then press it into thin sheets and dry them in the sun. Those sheets turn up everywhere in town, stacked at the morning market and the night market, and a plate of fried khai paen is a favourite nibble with sticky rice and a pot of jeow bong in the late afternoon. Frying takes seconds: the sheets puff, darken and turn shatteringly crisp, tasting of the river, toasted sesame and garlic, a little like nori but earthier. Buy the sheets dried; outside Laos, look in Southeast Asian grocers, and if you can't find them, nori sheets make a stand-in, though they are thinner, sea-salty rather than freshwater and fry even faster. Leaving a sheet in the oil a moment too long is the classic error, as it goes bitter and brown almost instantly. Chef's tip: cut the sheets into squares with scissors before frying, not after, so they don't crumble into dust.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the sheets
- 4 dried khai paen (river weed) sheetsor 6 nori sheets as a stand-in; many khai paen sheets come already topped
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 3 garlic clovesvery thinly sliced
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp water
For frying
- 1 cup vegetable oil
To serve
- 4 tbsp jeow bong (Lao chilli paste) (optional)
- 1 tomato (optional)very thinly sliced, to press on before frying
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Cut 4 dried khai paen (river weed) sheets into 8 cm squares with kitchen scissors. If your sheets came topped with sesame and garlic, skip the next step.
Step 2: Stir ½ tsp salt into 2 tbsp water. Brush each square lightly with the salty water, then press on a few slices of 3 garlic cloves and a pinch of 2 tbsp white sesame seeds, plus a slice of 1 tomato if you like; the damp surface makes them stick. With nori, brush very sparingly or it buckles.
Step 3: Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a small wok or frying pan over a medium heat to about 350°F, until a shred of weed sizzles at once.
Step 4: Fry the squares two at a time for 10–15 seconds, flipping once with tongs, until they bubble, turn from bright green to dark olive and go crisp. Nori needs only 5 seconds a side. Pull them out as soon as they darken.
5 minStep 5: Drain on kitchen paper in a single layer; they crisp up further as they cool.
2 minStep 6: Serve within a few hours with 4 tbsp jeow bong (Lao chilli paste) and sticky rice for dipping. Kept in an airtight tin they stay crisp for a day.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does khai paen take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of white sesame seeds?
- Poppy seeds or finely chopped pumpkin seeds, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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