No..it's not what you think..its not the noodles that are err.. inebriated. To get the story on why they are called thus, refer here .
These noodles may not be able to compete with pad thai in the looks department but when it comes to packing a spicy, fragrant punch, pad kee mao is the clear winner। The suffix kee mao in thai is used for dishes that feature the sacred trinity of fresh chillies, garlic and holy basil
If you cannot find these thick flat noodles (sen yai), feel free to substitute them with spaghetti ( that's how it was served to us in a chi chi restaurant in phuket)
This recipe is loosely based from a book called 'The best of Thai Vegetarian Food' by Sisamon Kongpan that we picked up in Bangkok . On with the recipe:
Rice noodles 50 g
Garlic cloves 4 to 6
Fresh Red chillies 3 to 4 ( This dish is not named drunken noodles for nothing, see history)
Salt 1/2 tsp
Tofu 30 g
Optional but not authentic : Broccoli, Baby corn, Cabbage.Blanch first two
Sliced Tomato 1 small
Fresh basil leaves ( a generous handful)
Unless you have basil at hand, don't bother to make this dish !
Light soy sauce
Maggi seasoning sauce ( This is a secret sauce used by thai restaurants, adds a delicate flavour)
1. Marinate the tofu in soy sauce for 10 minutes while you prepare other stuff.
2. Boil the noodles 'al dente" or 80 % done or according to package directions. This time I used fresh pre cooked rice noodles, but the dried ones need to be cooked for around 3 to 5 minutes typically. See here for more info on preparing noodles.
3. Spray a non stick wok with oil and fry the tofu lightly till the edges brown.Keep aside
4. Heat some oil in a wok ( around 2 tbsp) and fry the ground paste. Turn up your exhaust if you don't want to choke the whole house ! Add the prepared veggies, if using and fry lightly. Add the noodles and soy sauce and maggi seasoning sauce. Fry gently for about 2 minutes. Add the tofu.
5. Bung in the basil and suddenly magical smells will waft from the wok ! Throw in the tomatoes and stir around for a few sconds until the basil slightly wilts.
6. Serve
Some step by step instrunctions on these are :
2. with chicken
No comments:
Post a Comment