I have been seeing crispy rice salad all over my TikTok feed of late. Because it looks and sounds so incredibly delicious, I knew I had to give it a go with my low FODMAP Thai red curry paste. TikTok served me well – this low FODMAP crispy rice salad is everything you want a salad to be and more.

An aerial image of a bright blue ceramic plate topped with a crispy red rice salad, cucumbers, herbs and peanuts.

Low FODMAP crispy rice salad (Nam Khao inspired)

Name: Low FODMAP crispy rice salad (Nam Khao inspired)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 75 min
Ingredients: 400 g Jasmine rice (cooked the night before or 2-3 hours before to allow it to dry out); 2-3 large red chillies de-seeded and chopped (see notes); 50 g galangal or ginger grated (see notes); 50 g lemongrass finely sliced (the white parts of approx 2 large stalks of lemongrass); Good grating of makrut lime zest (or 5-10 makrut lime leaves, stems removed and chopped finely); 1-4 pickled garlic cloves (optional, see notes); 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin or cumin seeds; 1-2 tablespoons sweet paprika for colour; 1 teaspoon fine salt or to taste; white pepper to taste; ½ bunch (65g) (spring onion greens, chopped); 3-4 Thai basil leaves, chopped ((use the rest in the salad)); 3-4 Vietnamese mint leaves, chopped ((use the rest in the salad)); 80 ml (1/3 cup)* neutral oil (I used vegetable); 1 tablespoon vegan shrimp paste (I use Vincent the Vegetarian which contains no onion or garlic); 10 ml 2 teaspoons maple syrup or 2 teaspoons white sugar; 2-3 Lebanese cucumbers (chopped); 1 bunch Vietnamese mint (chopped); 1 bunch Thai basil (chopped); ¾ - 1 cup roasted peanuts; remaining 1/2 bunch spring onions, finely chopped (optional); 40 g (2 tablespoons)* white sugar ((Use 2 extra teaspoons for NZ, USA, Canadian, UK and European teaspoons)); 40 ml (2 tablespoons)* boiling water ((Use 2 extra teaspoons for NZ, USA, Canadian, UK and European teaspoons)); 40 ml (2 tablespoons)* lime juice ((Use 2 extra teaspoons for NZ, USA, Canadian, UK and European teaspoons)); 20-40 ml (1-2 tablespoons)* vegetarian fish sauce (see notes)

First, a word on the name. I debated calling this Nam Khao, the Laotian salad it is inspired by. However, I’m sure that my version is absolutely not wholly authentic. In researching the dish, I found a lot of recipes use fermented Thai sausage and also deep fry the rice (with egg) in balls as opposed to baking the rice.

Of course, there’s also the fact that low FODMAP recipes omit onion, garlic and shallots, which are traditional to the dish.

With these facts in mind, I decided to name the recipe as it is. My intention is never to take from another cuisine, but simply to provide delicious recipes to those with dietary restraints and allergies.

So! Onto the low FODMAP crispy rice salad. Cooked white rice is coated in a low FODMAP red curry paste and baked until crispy.

The crispy red rice is then combined with fresh herbs and cucumbers, a delicious and vibrant nuoc mam style dressing and crunchy peanuts. My take on the Laotian dish is low FODMAP, vegetarian or vegan, gluten free and easily nut free. It’s worth the effort, I promise.

An aerial image of a large white ceramic serving plate topped with Low FODMAP crispy rice salad. The salad is deep brown and topped with fresh cucumber, herbs and peanuts, and two serving spoons stick out to the right of the bowl. The platter sits atop a medium green backdrop surrounded by water glasses, extra ingredients and an extra plate of red rice salad

FODMAP notes

These FODMAP thresholds are current as of late July 2024.

Although I initially intended for this dish to use my low FODMAP red Thai curry paste, I settled on a purpose built version. My original recipe contained water which meant the crispy rice wasn’t quite as crispy. I also added a few more bold flavours to stand up to the delicious nuoc mam.

Store bought pastes contain onion or shallot and garlic, as well as lots of chilli (which is high in fructose). For my vegetarians and vegans, they also generally contain fish sauce and shrimp paste.

I have used regular chillies for this dish. This is because I am a chilli wimp, but also because they have a low FODMAP threshold of 28g or around 1 medium chilli. Depending on how many you intend to serve, that means you can add up to 6 chillies. Personally that would be the end of my tastebuds, so I stuck with 2 1/2 chillies (seeds removed).

Lebanese cucumbers are low FODMAP in 75g serves per person. However, they don’t contain moderate amounts of fructose until the exceed 97g serves per person. You can use 2 if you are concerned about exceeding fructose limits.

Peanuts are currently only rated as low FODMAP in 28g serves on the app. Monash have been doing some app updating and have recently removed helpful upper limits. Before they removed the upper limit for peanuts, Monash said that they contained only trace amounts of FODMAPs. Until they update the app, I will keep this recipe as is.

Finally, a note on the vegan shrimp paste and fish sauce. I LOVE Vincent the Vegetarian brand here in Australia. Not only are they vegan but they don’t contain onion or garlic. See substitution notes if you don’t have access to vegan shrimp paste.

An aerial image of a ceramic serving plate atop a white and white marble backdrop in contrasting sunlight. The plate is topped with a low FODMAP crispy rice salad garnished with herbs, cucumbers and peanuts. Bowls of ingredients and limes surround the serving platter.

Substitution options

If you have absolutely any chance of sourcing Thai basil and Vietnamese mint, please do! They are integral to the deliciousness of the dish and I think they really bring everything together. If there’s one thing I wouldn’t suggest omitting, it’s these herbs.

If you absolutely can’t find them, I would say mint and coriander would be your best bets. It will change the essence of the dish, but I think it will still be delicious. You can see in some photos that I have added extra coriander to some of my tests.

For those with nut or peanut allergies, simply omit the peanuts.

To bulk the dish out a little, I like to add some crispy tofu cubes from the Asian supermarket. They’re light and fluffy and don’t distract from the salad in the same way that firm tofu fried in soy sauce would.

As discussed, you can substitute the galangal for ginger if you can’t find it.

Makrut lime leaves are available at most Australian supermarkets these days. You can also buy them in bulk in the frozen section of Asian grocers, which is what I do. The limes themselves are harder to find. When I see them, I buy plenty and stock my freezer. Their flavour is unparalleled!

If you can’t find Vincent the Vegetarian brand vegan shrimp paste (or another vegan low FODMAP shrimp paste), you have a few options. You could experiment with adding some fermented tofu for funkiness (in Asian grocers) or add a dark miso paste to your tastes. Vincent the vegetarian brand shrimp paste’s primary ingredient is soybeans, so it’s kind of like a flavoured miso paste.

An aerial macro close up of a low FODMAP crispy rice salad topped with fresh herbs, peanuts and slices of cucumber.

Recipe tips for your low FODMAP crispy rice salad

Dried rice will be the easiest to crisp up on the oven. Wet rice will likely break as you stir in the curry paste. I highly recommend cooking your rice the night before or at least 2-3 hours in advance. You can cool it on a baking tray to dry it out more quickly.
If you like it super spicy, add more red chilli than the recipe specifies. It mellows out as it cooks with the rice.
If you don’t have a small food processor (I have a mini KitchenAid for curry paste) use a jug and an immersion blender. Small batches of curry paste are super annoying to make in large blenders or food processors.
Every brand of vegan fish sauce will be different. Add them to your tastes. Brands like Niulife are much sweeter and you will need to adjust the flavour profile of your dressing to suit. I use Vincent The Vegetarian.
Lining your baking tray makes it easy for you to decant the rice onto the serving platter. It also prevents pieces of rice crisping solid to your tray.
Although I haven’t tried it, dividing the rice onto two lined trays might speed up the process. I have a small oven but you are absolutely welcome to try it. Keep an eye on the rice to ensure it doesn’t burn.

An image of a white ceramic plate topped with low FODMAP crispy rice salad. The salad is topped with fresh herbs, peanuts and cucumber and sits atop a bright green backdrop. Two glasses of water sit to the top left of the image.

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