Khao Piak Sen @ Lao Tapioca Noodles in Chicken Broth - Indochina AFF~ Lao Food #3

Khao Piak or Ka'piek is a chewy noodle, almost similar to the texture of udon, of which is made with wheat instead. For locals, we will find it not too far off from the texture of Lai Fun (Assam Laksa noodles, but Lai Fun is less chewy. The Vietnamese has another noodle similar to this, called Bánh canh. But served in other ways.

I had fun making these noodles and they didn't turn hard or dry over time, even when I had them exposed (uncooked) for around 2 hours. I couldn't finish all that I made and kept the balance in the fridge to cook the next day and they didn't harden as well. Just as pliable! And I will say that the dough is not hard to make at all. I made it twice and got the same results each time.

The original recipe called for one whole chicken. But since I am only making 4 portions, it's a bit too much to use the whole bird. In the end I used a Naked Neck's carcass instead, that is known for tasting much better than regular chickens. I want my chicken slices to taste tender and juicy, so I used a separate piece of Naked Neck's breast that I will remove after 15 minutes of simmering.

If we are expecting the broth to taste as robust as hawker's, it's inevitable to add enhancing seasonings. But the choice is always yours. The usual way to cook Khao Piak Sen is to cook the noodles in the broth instead of cooking it separately, that's why I tried this method instead of Malisa's method. I enjoyed the noodles with the thick broth. Slurped everything down leaving the bowl clean!

Khao Piak Sen

Reference: Malisa

Chicken Broth
600gm chicken carcass
1/2 chicken breast
1 big fat lemongrass
1 Tbsp sliced galangal
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 Tbsp fish sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp MSG or Chicken stock powder  to taste

Tapioca Noodles (serves 4)
160gm rice flour
160gm tapioca starch
250gm boiling water
More tapioca starch for dusting

Toppings
Fried Shallot and garlic
Beansprouts
Sliced spring onion
Chopped Coriander leaves
Lime wedges

Prepare broth.
1. Bring 3L water to boil.
2. Put in everything except salt and MSG/chicken stock powder. Bring it back to a boil and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Remove the chicken breast and let the broth to continue simmering for another 2 hours.
4. Season with salt, pepper and MSG/chicken stock powder.
5. Tear the cooled chicken breast into strips.

Prepare Tapioca Noodles.
1. Bring more than 250gm water to boil.
2. Meanwhile place starch and rice flour into a heatproof mixing bowl (just not plastic) and mix. Either place the bowl of flour over a measuring scale or get your measuring cup ready.
3. Pour 250ml/250gm boiling water into the bowl of flour. Stir immediately with chopsticks. Coarse clumps will form.
4. Knead the clumps to form a smooth dough.
5. Generously dust with tapioca starch and roll it to a thickness of around 4mm. Slice the rolled dough to a similiar width as the thickness, so that the noodle looks squarish.
6. Divide the noodles into 4 portions.

Cook the noodles, and final assembly.
1. Bring 2 cups of  broth to boil. Add in one portion of tapioca noodles and bring to boil. Continue to cook until the noodles turn translucent thoroughly, and the broth turns thick.
2. Throw in some beansprouts, and turn off the heat.
3. Pour the noodles into a serving bowl,  and top with chicken strips, fried shallots and garlic, sliced coriander and spring onion and a lime wedge.

I am submitting this to Asian Food Fest Indochina Month, 

hosted by Kelly of Kelly Siew Cooks