Rice Noodles With Pork And Sweet Chilli Dressing
Rice Noodles with Pork and Sweet Chilli Dressing
Recipe and image from ‘Heavenly Fragrance’ by Carol Selva Rajah, published by Periplus Editions (2007).
Carol Selva Rajah is a Malaysian food consultant, author and presenter, and a proud ambassador for the Malaysia Kitchen Australia program, which aims to promote Malaysian cooking and the diverse Malaysian restaurants across Australia.
Fresh, wild and wonderful – this dish creates a culinary insurrection on your palate with its unbeatable combination of garlic chives, bean sprouts and coriander leaves. My friend Simon Goh of (Sydney restaurant) Chinta Ria adds a mean chilli dressing when he tosses this particular dish as it is cooked in our hometown of Klang. If shrimp paste is not your thing, omit it for it might change your appreciation of this vibrant noodle dish. A glass of chilled beer goes well with this dish – Carol Selva Rajah.
SERVES: 4-6 PREPARATION TIME: 45 mins COOKING TIME: 10 mins
Ingredients
½ cup (125 ml) oil
10 oz (300 g) dried rice stick noodles, blanched in boiling water until soft, then drained well
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
7 oz (200 g) lean pork, thinly sliced and marinated with 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons dried shrimp paste, dry-roasted and crumbled
1 cake pressed firm tofu (5 oz/150 g), diced
1 red finger-length chili pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons roasted unsalted peanuts, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
½ cup (30 g) chopped garlic chives
½ cup (25 g) bean sprouts, tails trimmed
Lime wedges, to garnish
Sweet Chili Dressing
½ cup (60 ml) fresh lime juice
½ cup (60 ml) Thai fish sauce
2 tablespoons shaved palm sugar or dark brown sugar, with 4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon bottled sweet chili sauce
Method
1. Heat the oil in a wok and fry the noodles over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until slightly browned. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet until hot. Add the beaten egg, swirling the pan to form a thin omelet. Cook the egg until set. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Roll up the omelet and slice into thin shreds.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok over high heat and stir-fry the onion and garlic until golden brown and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the pork and stir-fry until cooked, 2-3 minutes. Add the shrimp paste, tofu and chilli, and mix well. Remove from the heat.
4. Make the Sweet Chili Dressing by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and mixing well.
5. In a large serving platter, combine all the ingredients except the egg and lime wedges. Pour the Dressing over the noodles and toss until well blended. Sprinkle the egg shreds on top and serve with lime wedges.