A Google search for the best Thai restaurants in America will list Lotus of Siam high in the results, and it will likely appear in the #1 spot. The award-winning Northern Thai cuisine is exceptionally good, and practically every dish I’ve had there is memorable. But the small Las Vegas chain does have a few standout signature dishes, and this crispy rice salad is one of them.

For my Lotus of Siam Crispy Rice Salad copycat recipe, I found the best way to fry pre-cooked white rice: first, toss it with flour. The flour helps keep the rice kernels separate when they're dropped into the oil, so they fry without clumping. You’ll start by adding ¼ cup of flour to the cooked rice. If it starts to become sticky and clump, sprinkle on more, a tablespoon at a time, until the rice kernels stay separate.

After frying the rice, toss it with a chili powder blend made from toasted Guajillo and arbol peppers. Once the rice is fully coated, add red onion, green onions, slivered ginger, peanuts, cilantro, Thai sour sausage, and a simple dressing of lime juice and fish sauce. Finish with torn mint leaves, then serve the salad with an optional garnish of lettuce cups on the side to eat with the rice, or just eat it straight up.

Find more of my salad knock-off recipes here.