March 22, 2024
Ingredients
375 g (12 oz) fresh or dried flat rice noodles (if dry, at least 6 mm [¼ in] wide); 2 l (9 C) water (for cooking dried noodles); 1–2 C raw chicken bones with bits of meat attached
6 C water or stock; ½ t salt (or to taste); 3 C seasonal green vegetables (eg, 3 long beans or 8 small French green beans, cut into 5 cm [2 in] lengths, and a small bunch of watercress or spinach, washed and trimmed of longer stems and old leaves); 5 small spring onions, trimmed to include 10 cm (3 in) of the greens, finely chopped 5 small sprigs coriander including stems, finely chopped.
Serves five
Pork sauce: 10 large dried red chilies, 3 medium cloves garlic (or 5 small cloves) ,peeled
10 small brown shallots, thumb joint-size, peeled, Generous pinch salt 1 C (225 g/8 oz); pork mince (hand-chopped is best); 4 T for vegetable oil; 3 T fermented bean paste with chili; Substitute miso or drained yellow bean sauce with 1 teaspoon of chili flakes added, mashed to a smooth paste; 1–1½ C of water; ½ t salt 1 t chicken stock powder
For serving bowls of noodles
Method
1. Remove seeds and stems from the dried chilies, place in pot with 2 cups of water, bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes or until the chilies are soft and swollen.
2. Cool, remove and drain. Align the chilies on a chopping board. Starting at their tips and moving to their tops, work the chilies with a short chopping motion creating a fine paste. This will take about 5 minutes, or use a blender or food processor. Set the paste aside.
3. Place the garlic and shallots in a mortar, add salt and pound until the mixture is a slightly opaque paste, about 2 minutes.
4. Heat a wok; add oil. When the oil is hot, add the shallot and garlic mixture and stir fry on high heat for 2 minutes. Lower the heat, stir frying continually until the shallots are translucent and beginning to brown and the oil starts returning. Add the chili paste, continue to stir fry and then add fermented bean paste, squashing the ingredients down and scraping the sides and bottom of the wok to prevent sticking. This takes about 2 minutes.
5. Add the pork and stir fry 2–3 minutes. Add 1–1½ cups of water. Continue to cook on low heat until the mixture reduces and thickens. Add the stock powder and ½ teaspoon of salt. If using only water and not stock powder, the salt may need to be increased.
6. Dried noodles: check packet directions. Some noodles need only to be soaked in boiled water. If there are no directions, bring 2 liters of water to boil in a pot. Add the noodles and cook until aldente, soft but still firm to the bite. Drain and set aside.
7. Fresh noodles: if not to size, cut the folded sheets into thin strips at least 6 mm (⅜ in) wide, place them in a sieve over a pot and pour boiling water over them. This should be enough to revive them. If not, steam for a few minutes.
8. In a separate pot or frying pan, bring 6 cups of water to boil; add chicken bones and salt. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the vegetables except for the garnish. Simmer 2 more minutes.
9. Divide noodles into five bowls. The noodles should fill no more than half the bowl. Divide the pork sauce between the bowls, placing it on half of the noodles only. Garnish with a generous sprinkling of chopped spring onion and coriander. Place one-fifth of the vegetables on the other half of the noodles. Discard the chicken bones and carefully pour the chicken stock over the noodles in each bowl.
10. Serve with small dishes of soy sauce, chili flakes, sugar and lime wedges for individual seasoning.
Variations
• Use beef, chicken or tofu instead of pork.
• For vegetarians, use water or vegetable stock only, no chicken bones. Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce to the water.
Most of information comes from Food from Northern Laos (The boat Landing Cookbook).
