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Drunken Noodles (Pad Ki Mow)

i made this very easy dish for my family while i was in texas and everyone loved it.  i made a few changes (aside from doubling the recipe):  i added  some rehydrated and chopped shiitake mushrooms at the same time i added the onions and peppers.  i left out the kaffir lime leaves because i wasn't able to find them.   i wasn't able to find broad flat rice noodles, so i used the widest rice noodles i could find at the asian market (chantaboon, i think).   i served the drunken noodles with fresh bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, thai basil, culantro, cilantro, fried garlic,  and sliced thai chiles and let everyone add those toppings to their noodles as they wish.  the picture shows a batch of drunken noodles that i made using beef (i have been craving beef lately...not sure why).  i just added the sliced beef right after stir-frying the garlic and chiles and before adding the other ingredients. 

Drunken Noodles (Pad Ki Mow)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 clove garlic (minced)
2 small red or green chiles
4 ounces Sen Yai noodles (broad flat rice noodles)
1 small onion, diced
1 medium tomato, diced
4 kaffir lime leaves
6 sweet basil leaves (thai basil)
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 small sweet red or green pepper, diced

In a wok or skillet, heat the oil until a light haze appears.  Add the garlic and chiles, and fry until the
garlic is golden brown.  Add the noodles, stir; add the remaining ingredients and stir well until the
peppers begin to cook but are still al dente.  Turn onto a platter and serve.

Makes 2 servings

posted by: artichoke72 at 11:31 | link | comments |
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Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup (Tom Yum Goong)

This typical Thai soup is addictive.  I love the contrast of flavors and it's adaptability.  The seasoning paste is essential to the authentic flavor of this soup.  If you have a motar and pestle, use them to make the paste.  Otherwise, I'm sure a blender will work just fine for making the seasoning paste. 

As always, i didn't follow the recipe exactly.  When I made this soup I substituted rehydrated shiitake mushrooms for the canned straw or white mushrooms the recipe calls for.  I also added a handful of rehydrated black fungus, thinly sliced.  The black fungus (also known as cloud ears) adds an unique crunch and texture to the soup.  I didn't add the sugar or tomatoes to the recipe (but have in the past with no problems) because I'm trying to eliminate sugar on my diet and tomatoes bother my hubby's tummy.  I could not find fresh galanga (a member of the ginger family), so I just added a few slices of the dried and fished them out of the soup (along with the lemongrass) right before serving.  Additionally, I skipped the step of browning the shrimp shells in the oil and simmering them in the broth.  I'm sure that step would have added a whole dimension of flavor, but I was feeling lazy. 

To make this soup a more substantial meal, i served the soup over rice noodles.

Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup (Tom Yum Goong)

2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 shallot, sliced
1 teaspoon ground chili paste
1 fresh red chili, any kind (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 pound raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (reserve the shells)
5 cups homemade, unsalted or canned low-sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 1-inch pieces and bruised with the back of a knife
3 thin slices galanga
3 kaffir lime leaves, cut into thirds
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 cup canned straw mushrooms or sliced white mushrooms
2 red ripe tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
10 fresh Thai basil leaves
5 fresh cilantro springs, chopped

Place the garlic, shallot, chili paste, chili, cilantro, and peppercorns into a mortar and pound into a paste.

Heat the oil in a soup pot over moderate heat.  Add the shrimp shells and brown until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add the spice mixture to the pot an stir until fragrant, about 2 seconds.  Add the chicken stock and let simmer 5 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the shells and discard. Add the lemongrass, galanga, lime leaves, fish sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms, and tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Add the shrimp and cook until almost done, about 2 minutes. The shrimp will continue to cook in the hot broth.  Remove from heat and add the lime juice, basil, and cilantro.  Serve piping hot.

Recipe source:  The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking by Mai Pham (Prima Publishing, 1995).

posted by: artichoke72 at 12:41 | link | comments |
all recipes, soup recipes, asian recipes

this is what i want for my birthday......

i read a review of this book today in the Austin American Statesman.  The author photographed every single thing (from cereal to foie gras, from peanuts in las vegas to paninis in italy) he ate for a year and the 2500 photographs are published in this book.  what a brilliant idea!  i can't wait to get a copy of this book. 

Everything I Ate:  A Year in the Life of My Mouth by Tucker Shaw

 

posted by: artichoke72 at 02:43 | link | comments (3) |