Noodles in a thick vegetable gravy

ราดหน้าraat naa

One of the first Thai meals I really enjoyed when I came to Thailand was this one - rat naa. It not only tasted good but the name was memorable too. I remember writing home and telling people that I had eaten a Thai dish made from rat (I was young back then). And not forgeting of course the other delicious meal made from cow pat (khao pat). Anyway, this meal is basically noodles served with a thick gravy containing kale (Chinese broccoli) and pork. However, I once had a version with seafood. The type of noodles is up to you. In the picture above you can see that I chose sen yai (the wide noodles). But, I sometimes have mee grob (deep fried noodles) with this dish to make a change. You can see that noodle in the picture below.

The recipe for rat naa varies a lot so some people, like myself, will cross town just to find the perfect version. Actually, I don't have to travel far as my local rat naa food shop is at the top of Tetsaban 4 Road where my school is located. It is easy to tell this is a popular shop as there is always a line of Thai people waiting to buy. There are two shops in my soi that cook rat naa. They are Ok but not perfect. So, I have to cross Sukhumwit Road to buy my noodles in gravy. A word of warning, if you go to my favourite shop then make sure you are very hungry. A normal serving costing only 25 baht will easily fill a big bowl. They give you a lot of gravy unlike other shops. For an extra 5 baht you can order special but don't do that unless you can eat for two people!

The recipe for rat naa that I want to share with you today is for food shops. The ingredients here are enough for 40 plates and apparently will only cost you 150-200 baht.

The main ingredients are:

• เส้นก๋วยเตี๋ยวเส้นใหญ่ - wide noodles ( 2 kilograms)
• เนื้อหมูสันในหั่นชิ้นพอคำ - sliced pork fillet (1.5 kilograms)
• ผักคะน้าหั่น - sliced kale (1 kilogram)
• กระเทียมสับละเอียด - chopped garlic (quarter of a cup)
• พริกไทยป่น - ground pepper (1 tablespoon)
• แป้งข้าวโพด - corn flour (6 tablespoons)
• เต้าเจี้ยวดำ - fermented soybeans (quarter of a cup)
• น้ำตาลทราย - sugar cane (quarter of a cup)
• ซีอิ๊วขาว - light soy sauce (three quarters of a cup)
• ซีอิ๊วดำ - dark soy sauce (quarter of a cup)
• น้ำปลา - fish sauce (three quarters of a cup)
• น้ำซุป - stock (half a cup)
• น้ำมัน - oil (one and a half cups)
• น้ำส้มพริกดอง - chili sauce in vinegar

Mix the pork with the light soy sauce, ground pepper and one tablespoon of sugar cane. Leave to marinate for one hour. Mix together the noodles and dark soy sauce. Add one tablespoon of oil to a wok. Once it is hot, add the noodles and fry until it is ready. Take out and place on a plate. Add the remainder of the oil to the wok. When it is hot, add the garlic and fry until it is fragant. Add the fermented soybeans and stir as you fry. Add the sliced pork and fry for a little longer. Then add the kale and stock. Season with sugar cane and fish sauce and give it a good stir. When it is boiling, add the corn flour which has been mixed with water. When it is ready, serve.

Noodles Fried in Dark Soy Sauce

ผัดซีอิ๊วpat see iw

A little while ago, I blogged about a favourite dish of mine called noodles in a gravy (rat naa). Well, today I want to introduce you to its twin! Usually, if a food stall is cooking rat naa, they will also cook noodles fried in soy sauce (pad see-eel). You could say that this is the dry version. The noodles here are the wide ones called sen yai, although you could use the small ones such as sen lek. It is quite simple to cook. First fry some garlic until golden brown. Then add pork or chicken and fry until it is almost cooked. Add the noodles together with some dark soy sauce, then kale (Chinese broccoli) and one egg. You then season with soy sauce, sugar, salt and white vinegar. As usual, I have a video of one of my local food shops cooking this dish. There is also a new video of rat naa being cooked by this same shop. The videos are numbers 22 and 23 on the list.

Noodles in Fish Curry Sauce

ขนมจีนน้ำยา khanom jeen nam yaa

These distinctive white noodles are almost spaghetti like. They are made from rice flour

In the above picture you can see the sauces for three soups that go with khanom jeen noodles. The larger one on the right is "nam ya ga ti" which is sometimes shortened to just "nam yaa". It is the famous version for the central region. In the top left is "nam ya ba" and bottom left is "nam ngiaw". The missing soup is "nam prik". The first two I mentioned have fish balls (look chin pla) but nam ngiaw is served with chicken pieces.

ขนมจีน น้ำยา - khanom jeen nam yaa

The fish curry sauce is made with fish, ginger, garlic, shrimp paste, shallots, galangal, lemon grass, peppers, coconut milk and fish sauce.

ขนมจีน น้ำเงี๊ยว - khanom jeen nam ngiaw

This curry is made with garlic, red curry paste, yellow bean sauce, diced tomatoes, turmeric, fish sauce, spring onion and coriander. You can use either chicken (as in the picture) or pork ribs.

The sauce is poured on top of the noodles. You then have a selection of vegetables which you eat with it. These include: basil, quail eggs, pickled mustard greens, shredded cabbage and beansprouts.

Thai Fried Noodles

ผัดไทย pad thai

Firmly in my Top 10 for Thai Street Food is Pad Thai, otherwise known as Thai fried noodles. The ingredients that make up this dish include: egg, beansprouts, dried shrimp, garlic, tofu, salted Chinese radish and crushed peanuts.

You can find pad thai being made almost anywhere. However, be warned. The recipe does vary. Try to avoid the pad thai that has been "mass produced" and is seen for sale for only 10 baht at temple fairs and places like Khao San Road. For best results, watch it being made fresh. The pad thai stand around the corner from me opens at about 5 p.m. and is open until late. A large plate from her costs 20 baht (see picture above). An extra sized helping (called pi-set in Thai) costs only 5 baht more.

In the above picture, you can see the ingredients waiting to be added. From left to right: tofu (beancurd), dried shrimp and salted Chinese raddish/turnip. At the back, in the plastic bag, you can see the rice noodles.

First to be added to the wok are the noodles. These are stir-fried for a few minutes. Next is added the dried shrimp, tofu and minced Chinese raddish. Again this is mixed and stir-fried for a few minutes.

The ingredients are now pushed to one side and an egg is cracked into the wok. She cooked the egg for a minute or so before breaking it up and mixing it in with the noodles. Finally a sprinkling of chopped chives and a generous layer of breansprouts are placed on top. This is not mixed in with the noodles. It is now ready to serve. The finally layer is the ground roasted peanuts. She placed all of this into a container with some spring onions, half a lime and a little plastic bag containing chili and sugar.

Although pad thai is cooked just about everywhere, people will cross to the other side of town just to get their favourite recipe. My favourite is on Taiban roundabout. Very delicious and worth the extra effort to cross town. It is easy to spot the more popular hawkers as there is always a long queue!

I have never attempted to cook this dish as it is so readily available. However, here is the recipe if you want to have a go at home:

Stir-Fried Thai Noodles Recipe

Ingredients:

8 oz (250 g) rice noodles (sen lek)
3 tablespoons oil
3 garlic cloves (kratiem), minced
1/4 cup dried shrimp/prawns
1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) fish sauce (nam pla)
1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) sugar
2 tablespoons tamarind juice (ma-kaam piag)
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 cup fried tofu
2 tablespoons dried unsalted turnip, cut into small pieces
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup 1-in (2.5-cm) lengths chopped chives
1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) ground roasted peanuts
1 cup bean sprouts

Garnish:

1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup chopped chives
1/4 small banana blossom, cut into strips
1/2 lime, cut into wedges

How to cook:

1. Soak the rice noodles in cold water for 30 minutes, or until soft. Drain, and set aside.

2. Heat a large skillet until hot, then add the oil. Add the garlic and dried shrimp, and stir-fry. Add the noodles and stir-fry until translucent. It may be necessary to reduce the heat if the mixture is cooking too quickly and the noodles stick.

3. Add the fish sauce, sugar, tamarind juice and paprika. Stir-fry the mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the tofu, turnip and egg.

4. Turn the heat to high and cook until the egg sets, stirring gently. Thoroughly combine the mixture, and continue cooking over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes until most of the liquid is reduced.

5. Mix in the chives, peanuts and bean sprouts. Place on a serving dish, arrange the bean sprouts, chives, banana blossom and lime attractively and serve.