Spicy Drunken Noodles
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • ¾ pound (12 ounces) fresh 1-inch wide rice noodles or 6 ounces dried rice noodles
  • 1 Tablespoon dark sweet soy sauce, aka black sweet soy sauce*
  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons oyster sauce
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 4 or 5 fresh red Thai bird's eye, serrano, or jalapeno chiles, stemmed
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ½ onion, cut into ½-inch wedges
  • 6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast or any other meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 tomato, cored and cut into wedges
  • 2 stems of young green peppercorns, fresh or brined (optional, but recommended)
  • 1-1/2 cups fresh holy basil, Thai sweet basil, or Italian sweet basil leaves
  • *If you can't find dark sweet soy sauce, it's easy to make your own. Just mix together 1 Tablespoon regular soy sauce with 1 Tablespoon brown sugar and 1 teaspoon molasses. Measure out what you need for this recipe. (I made this and it was great!)
Instructions
  1. If using fresh noodles, microwave them just until softened, at 30 second intervals. When cool enough to handle, separate them using your fingers and set aside. If using dry noodles, bring a pot of water to boil, turn off heat, and add dry noodles. Stir a few times and let them sit about 8 minutes. Rinse well in cold water, drain well, and separate with your fingers. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, mix to combine the soy sauces, oyster sauce, and fish sauce; set aside.
  3. Slice two of the chiles lengthwise, seed them, and set aside. Chop the remaining 2 or 3 chiles roughly.
  4. In a mortar and pestle, pound the chopped chiles and garlic together to form a coarse paste (or mince together finely) and then mash them a bit with the flat side of a chef's knife.
  5. In a large wok or skillet over medium heat, heat the oil and add the chile-garlic paste and stir fry just until fragrant, about 10-20 seconds.
  6. Add the onion and stir fry 1 to 2 minutes until softened and a bit browned.
  7. Add the meat and stir fry just until browned, 3-4 minutes.
  8. Push everything to the sides and add noodles in the center. Pour the sauce on top of the noodles and stir a few times to distribute evenly.
  9. Add the tomato and green peppercorn stems (if using) and sliced chiles, and stir a few times to mix well.
  10. Cook until the noodles are softened and just a bit browned or charred. Let the noodles sit for about a minute, without stirring, and then mix and let sit for 1 minute more.
  11. Turn off the heat, add the basil, and stir fry a few times just until the basil is softened. Serve immediately.
  12. Note: You can use any type of noodle in this dish, even instant Ramen noodles or spaghetti.
Recipe by The Culinary Cellar at https://theculinarycellar.com/the-better-takeout-thai-cookbook/