Lard-Na Noodle

The word Lard Na in this dish means to top on, so basically it's the noodle topped with stew-like kind of sauce.

It's a great dish to serve the whole family without breaking too much sweat in the kitchen, and it's so versatile that you can use any kind of noodles you love with this sauce - it's sort of the same idea of making pasta.




I love to make the sauce in advance, mostly Friday night, and just heat it up the next Saturday and Sunday as our lunch or even dinner sometimes, so I don't have to spend most of my summer weekend in the kitchen and rather running around out side.

The authenticity of this noodle is the stir-fried noodle topped with pork and Chinese broccoli in a stew-like sauce, no other meats or vegetable will be added. I would say the pork is the creme de la creme of this noodle dish. To some Thai people, to judge what store has the best Lard-na noodle is mostly judged by how they make the pork. Pork should have taste succulent - almost melt in your mouth, and also has a taste of smoke or slightly burning smell when you taste the noodle, which means they know how to properly stir-fire the noodle to get the burning smell, but the noodle still isn't burned, which requires a personal technique and some experiences to come up with the perfect stir fired noodle and yummy Lard-Na sauce.





In my version of homemade Lard-Na noodle, I don't have a niche to get a perfect burning smell of  stir-fired noodle because of many reason such as finding the right broad rice noodle, the right wok, and the right heat - I have none of the above....but hey!...my pork has its call, at least.

Marinated
- 1 cups of thinly sliced pork, or your meat of choice or tofu if you want to go veggie.
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. corn strach

Mix all of the above ingredients together in a bowl, cover it up and let them marinate in the fridge over night. If you choose to go with tofu, skip the marinate part.

The sauce
- Marinated pork
- 2 cups of water
- 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
- Chinese broccoli, cut into small bite - as much as you like.
- 1/2 cup, canned bamboo shoots
- 1/2 cup, canned or fresh baby corns
- 2 tbsp. of fermented black soy bean
- 2 tbsp. of sugar
- 3 tbsp. of corn strach, mixed with 3 tbsp. of water
- 2 tbsp, saute oil





Making the sauce

1. In a sauce pan with saute oil, add garlic and marinated pork, saute until the pink disappear then add water.

2. leave it  to a  boil, and later lower the  heat to medium low, let it simmering for about 5 minute.
3. Add all vegetables and start seasoning with fermented soy bean, sugar and taste it. If you need more salty taste, add a pinch of salt.

Serving : Heat up the noodle, and top with the sauce. As always, you can still season your noodle at the table before eating, if you like, with vinegar, sugar and fish sauce or soy  sauce.

Fresh Rice Noodle With Asian Sauce

Gauy Teaw Lhord

This is another delicious noodle dish, and yet easy to make. I love making them for Sunday lunch. The sauce can be made ahead, keep it in the fridge, and just reheat it when you are ready to eat.

The first time I found this fresh noodle at the corner of Bowery and Hester st. in Chinatown, I was so happy. It made me think of Guay Teaw Lhord (Lhord means tube or straw in Thai) at home in Thailand.

The broad flat noodle are made fresh, rolled in with the tiny dried shrimps and chop fresh scallion forming small rolls of noodle. I don't know what the Chinese eat this soft yummy noodle with, but I know it's going to be my Guay Teaw Lhord, and it's delicious!!

If you can't find fresh noodle just like this, you can buy dried broad flat noodle - boil them up until they are soft - just like boiling pasta, and have them ready for the sauce.

Making The Sauce

- 1/3 cup dried shrimp
- 1/2 cup fresh pork, small, thinly sliced.
- 5-6 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water, or fresh shiitake, cut into small strips.
- 1/2 cup bamboo shoots

- 1 tbsp herbal paste
- 2 cup of water + 1/2 cup of soaked shiitake mushroom water
- 1 tbsp. oyster sauce (optional)
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

1. A pan on medium high heat, saute herbal paste with sliced pork, add a bit of water into the pan to degrease the pan. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add in dried shrimp, and 2 cups of water and the rest of shiitake mushroom water. Let it reaches a full boil.
3. In goes bamboo shoots and shiitake mushroom.
4. Start seasoning with oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Stir to incorporate.
5. Taste it, and adjust the taste you like. The taste should has a balance of sweet and salty. If it was too strong, you can always thin it out with a bit of water. Turn off the heat - ready to serve.
6. Ladle out the sauce on to the fresh noodle.

This noodle isn't a "soupy-noodle", just a little of sauce goes along way to a yummy land. I recommend adding 1 tsp. of white vinegar to the noodle before eating. It'll make the taste more complete and deliciously balancing.

Egg Noodle dressing

When I don't have time to cook, and still want to have something that will make my day, I go with egg noodle salad. Just simple boiled egg noodle tossed with ginger noodle dressing, eat as a side-dish with BBQ pork or as a main dish itself, I'll be good for the day.

This dressing has an Asian flavor, which goes perfectly with the noodle. I always have it in the fridge, in a dressing bottle, so that it can be used right away whenever I needed it.

Noodle dressing (yield about a cup of dressing)
- 2 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp. chopped green onion
- 1 tbsp. Asian chilli oil
- 3/4 cup red wine venigar
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. toasted white, black sesame seeds
- 3 tbsp. sesame oil
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or olive oil

1. Except sesame oil, vegetable oil and sesame seeds, mix all ingredients together. Taste it, the taste should lead by sour taste.

2. Whisk all the ingredient together, and gently pour in the oils and later sesame seeds.

3. Collect the dressing in a clean bottle, it can be kept in the fridge up to two weeks.

4. Toss boiled egg noodle with the dressing, and fresh chopped cilantro.

Shrimp Pad Thai

Pad Thai Goong Sod (Goong=shrimps, Sod=fresh)

For those who are already big fans of Pad Thai, and wanted to try making this delicious stir-fried noodle, following my post here, you'll get the taste of Pad Thai that we normally eat in Thailand - with all ingredients that Pad Thai should have and should taste like, only one thing missing here is beansprout....


In Thailand there are only Pad Thai and Pad Thai Goong Sod (shrimp Pad Thai) or, in some places, seafood available - there are no chicken, beef or vegetable Pad Thai like you see in most Thai restaurants here in the US.

The original Pad Thai has small dried shrimps instead of big fresh shrimps, which later added to the menu as a new choice.


Working with dried noodle is a bit tricky. They need a lot of liquid and proper times to soften them up.

Serving two hungry people.
- Hand full of dried rice noodle, soaking in warm water for 15 minutes. Save the water for later use.
- Fresh shrimps, clean and deveined
- Hand full of garlic chive leaves, cut 1" long and leave some to eat fresh with the noodle.
- Hand full of beansprout (I don't have it this time)
- 5 small heads shallot, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup preserved reddish
- 2 pieces hard tofu, diced
- 2 eggs
- ground peanut
- wedge of lime
- chili powder (optional)

- 2 tbsp. tamarind water
- 2 tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
- 1 cup water
- 6 tbsp. olive oil



1. In small bowl, mix tamarind water, fish sauce and sugar together.
2. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil in a hot pan, in goes shallot and garlic, saute until fragrant.
3. Add soaked soft noodle, stir-fry to incorporate with shallot and garlic, add water (used for soaking noodle), start with mall amount. Keep stirring, don't let the noodle stick together.
4. Add in mixing sauce (in no. 1). Keep stirring until the noodle get soft. If you feel that the pan get too dry and the noodle start to stick to the pan, add more water. Pick up some noodle to taste if they are soft then transfer the noodle to a resting plate.



5. In the same pan, add 2 tbsp. olive oil, hard tofu, preserved reddish and shrimps. Stir-fry until the shrimp get almost opaque.
6. Put shrimps to the side of the pan, making room for two eggs.
7. Add 2 more tbsp. of olive oil, crack in the eggs and scramble them.
8. Incorporate the shrimps and scrambled eggs.

9. In goes, the preparing noodle, stir to incorporate everything together.
10. Add chive leaves, beansprout. Stir.
11. Taste the noodle, make sure they are soft, turn off the heat. You can also adjust the taste later in your plate.
12. Serve with ground peanut, fresh beansprout, fresh chive, a wedge of lime, chili powder (if you like spicy)


Enjoy your Pad Thai with lots of shrimps as you like.

Stir-Fried Instant Noodles with Italian Sausages

If you asked me, " What is Asian fast food ?"........ My answer would be Instant Noodles.

You just pour hot water over the dried noodles with the powder condiments and oil that comes with, and it'd be ready to eat in three minutes. If that isn't a fast food, I don't know what else would it be.

Korean instant noodles

So we always have these quick-life-saving noodles in our cabinet to save my lazy days. There are so many kinds of instant noodles - Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai and others.

Each nation has its own taste and flavors when it comes to powder condiments and oils that usually comes in the package.


And that because of these noodle becomes part of our everyday food, in Thailand, they are adapted into many different dishes.

People love to use only the dried noodle to make new dishes and toss away those condiments, re-seasoning and enjoy the texture of the noodle in a new kind of dish.


My favorite one is to stir-fired them with what ever ingredients I wanted to cook with - and most of the time it means adding vegetables and meats. This time I cooked with hot Italian sausages and vegetables...yum!

Serve 2
- two packs of instant noodles (depends on the size of the pack)
- Vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli, carrot, green onion, baby corns, snow peas, bean sprout - just any kind of vegetable you like.
- 2 pieces of hot or sweet Italian sausages, casing removed.
- 2 Eggs

- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp. garlic oil
- 2 tbsp. oil for stir fry


Prepare the noodle
1. Put a pot of water to the full boiled.
2. Add in the dried noodle - boil for 2 minutes. (Be careful not to over-cook the noodle. Most directions on the package say cook for 3 minutes for the completely cook, but we will later stir fry the noodle, so it's better to under cook the noodle in this step.)
3 Strain the noodle and coat them lightly with garlic oil. Set aside.




Ready to stir fry.

1. Cut up all vegetables, break the sausages into small pieces.
2. heat up a wok then add the oil.
3. In goes, the sausages. Stir fry for 2 minute then add vegetables.
4. Make small room in the wok, add more oil if needed, crack 2 eggs in and slightly beat them up with a spatula then stir vegetables and sausages to incorporate with the eggs.
5. Add noodles, give a quick stir and start seasoning with soy sauce and sugar.
6. Taste it, and adjust the taste to suit you.

Baoguette Cafe, Vietnamese's close to home

My craving for noodle kicked in, and I didn't have time to make nor to go to Chinatown. So we made our stop short at Baoguette Cafe, Vietnamese sandwich & noodle place - just ten steps away from our apartment.


It's a tiny place - just two small tables, one big table and a counter bar for seating. It's not a fancy schmancy place for a romantic dining, but it is an easy place for a quick stop with a hint of South East Asian ambient you would get from those pictures of street vibes of Vietnam on the wall and the display of Asian ingredients in the kitchen window.

The decor reminds me of a street food vibes back at home in Thailand, and I think that's what this place' s trying to say here.


We went there late afternoon, and it wasn't crowded - still there's no small tables for us, so we got big table at the front just for two of us.

I had Pho Special which has rare beef, brisket, tendon in anise broth, served with raw beansprout, fresh basil leaves and a wedge of lime on the side for $8.

The portion is huge for me. They give a generous amount of tender beef and they are delicious. The broth is tasty - not too strong nor too light, but I am a spicy girl, so Sriracha sauce helps me there.

Also, love the fresh scent of basil and raw red onion in the broth. It helps taming my craving for Thai Guy Teiw Nam Tok.


My husband asked for Baoguette, a classic Vietnamese sandwich which comes with pork pate', pickle, daikon, carrot, cucumber, cilantro and jalapeno for $5. The size of it is still big for me, but it is OK for my husband - just OK.

I will go back and try the sandwich next time. There are a few Vietnamese restaurants in our neighborhood waiting for us to stop by as well.

Beef Noodle, Gui Teaw Neur

When I want some fast noodle as a lunch, I'll go to Chinatown. But, when it comes to a real treat noodle, I'll make it myself. When I say "real treat" I mean the taste that I am familiar with, the taste from home, just like this delicious Thai beef noodle.

In New York, if you want to find the real Thai noodle, you have to go to Queens. There are many Thai restaurants that make very good noodle. In Manhattan, there is the one I recommend, located at downtown on Fulton st. between Gold st. & William St. The restaurant name is the Bennie's Thai Cafe. They make a very delicious beef needle called Gui Teaw Num Tok or Waterfall Noodle, cute:)
dried rice noodle

Make this noodle when you have the whole day for cooking. It takes at least three hours to slowly cook the soup until beefs get very tender and soft, almost melt in your mouth. But, it's all worth it.
Chinese celery

What vegetable to buy?
- Chinese Celery
- Cilantro (with the roots intact)
- Green Onion
- Green-leaf Lettuce, here I used water spinach

Condiment for the soup
- 3 star anises
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 root of galangal, slice
Galangal

Star anises, Cinnamon Sticks


Herbal Paste
- 5 cilantro roots
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 10 black or white pepper

Seasoning
- Soy sauce
- 1 small piece of sugar candy (optional)
- salt

Beef : I use chunk beef stew meat


Note : There is no specific measurement for these one. I made a big pot that would last us for almost a week. The best way is to taste it as you go, so you can make the right portion for yourself.

Making the soup


1. Make the Herbal Paste
2. Put all the meat into a pot, cover them up with water and put on high heat.
3. In goes, condiments and herbal paste to the pot.
4. As the meat start to get hot they will release the oil to the surface, gradually skim those foamy oil out.
5. Reduce the heat to medium and start the seasoning, start with three table spoon of soy sauce, and a pinch of salt, later you can taste and adjust the taste as you like it.
6. After the seasoning, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid and let them stew until the beef get very soft and tender.

Serving


water spinach

There are quite a lot of things to prepare when it comes to serving noodle.

1. Cut coarsely fresh cilantro, green Onion, Chinese Celery, water spinach or green-leaf lettuce.
2. Boil dried rice noodle (just like boiling pasta).
3. Put soften noodle in a serving bowl, in goes, fresh cilantro, green onion, Chinese celery and green-leaf lettuce or water spinach.
4. Ladle beef and soup in the bowl, top with garlic oil and serve.



Again, you can adjust the taste of your noodle before eating by seasoning them with sugar, white vinegar and fish sauce...oh...also a bit of chili powder is Delicious!!!


I also love to have some extra beef balls to go with this noodle. It is a real treat for me.

Egg noodle (ba-mee-hang), Eating Noodle Like Thai

My favorite noodle dish, ever. I can eat it every days, and I am not exaggerated.Oh well, I am actually a noodle girl who is addicted to all kind of noodles, but this one is at the top of them all. When I was little, my aunt knew exactly that to have me eating lunch without a bit of whining, the only choice I would jump on was, and still is, these yummy Ba-Mee-Hang. (ba-mee = egg noodle, hang = dry) So, ba-mee-hang is referable as egg noodle without soup.

Even though ba-mee-hang can be found in every noodle places or noodle stalls in Thailand, my yummy ba-mee-hang is still from the noodle place in a small town I grew up, Chumporn province. Though I can't remember the name of the place, whenever I go back to Chumporn, still, I know exactly where to go for ba-mee-hang.

Since I am now living far away from my favorite ba-mee-hang place, I have to do it myself. OK, you might say, "Just go to Chinatown - tons of Chinese restaurants serving egg noodle." Did I mention I am a noodle girl?.....I have not yet found egg noodle that is prepared like my ba-mee-hang - well, not really mind , just the Thai way of preparing them.



But I do have a favorite noodle place in Chinatown, Manhattan, when I have a sudden urge of noodles and don't want to make it myself, I would go to the noodle place called New Chow Cho on Mott St between Canal St. and Hester St. where I can season the noodle myself right there at the table. In Thailand, a condiment set which is included fish-sauce and chili (num-pla-prick), granulated sugar, dry chili power and vinegar with chili is offered for noodle seasoning at the tables - we season our noodle ourselves to suite each one taste buds - it is a common way of eating noodle in Thailand. Here, New Chow Cho makes it very kind for Thai noodle eaters and even the very best is I can sometimes order them in a Thai way because some of the waiters can speak a bit of Thai , and they understand what it means to eat noodle like Thai.

Like their reputations yield, Thai foods are spicy and strong in flavors, this noodle dish is no exception. The end result of seasoning, before putting them into your mouth is more like preparing a bowl of salad - every things in the bowl are tossed together to mix well before eating.

I am hungry already, and here is my version of making ba-mee-hang the way I like. Some ingredients are left out just to make my life more easier finding them, I get the taste I familiar with, still .



- fresh egg noodle - can be found in all Asian groceries.
- 1 tbs Lime juice
- 1 tbs fish sauce
- 1/2 tbs granulated sugar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp. black soy sauce (optional)
- Garlic oil

- 2 tbsp. chopped scallion
- 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp. ground peanuts (optional)
- vegetable of choice

- fish balls, beef balls
- 1/4 cup grounded pork
- dried shrimps (optional)

The only thing called for cooking is boiling the water.

1. seasoning ground pork with a bit of soy sauce and let it sit.
2. prepare a noodle bowl, in go lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and dried shrimps (0ptional), mix well and let it sit.
3. In a pot, bring water to boil.
4. fast boil vegetable, fetch them out, let it sit
5. boil all fish balls, beef balls for two minutes, take them out, let it sit
6. boil grounded pork till it is thoroughly cooked and put them into the preparing noodle bowl( with mixing sauces in it)
7. goes in the last, fresh egg noodle, (if you know how to boil spaghetti, you're good to go) boil them about two minutes - these noodles are fresh, so they are already soft and don't need to be dancing in boiling water for very long, fetch them out and put into the preparing noodle bowl.
8. right away, toss the noodle with garlic oil for thoroughly coated.
9. in a noodle bowl, put all boiled ingredients and later chopped cilantro, scallion, and ground peanuts (optional).
10. drizzling with black soy sauce

Before eating



like fixing salad, every things in the bowl need to be tossed so that all taste will be blended together. Now you test for the taste you like, and that you can season them as you go - love more sour - squeeze a wedge of lime, more salty - add a little bit of fish sauce, prefer slightly sweet - add a tiny bit of sugar, can't leave without spicy taste....me me me - add a little of dried chili powder, and, again, toss them to mix before eating.

Now, you can make it your own personal ba-mee-hang.



For ingredients, you can choose all ingredients you like, besides fish balls, beef balls, ground pork - make it with whatever kind of meats you like (boil it if it's needed, don't do it if it's ready cooked) - roasted pork, chicken, turkey, beef etc.

The only foundation for these yummy noodle dish is the mixing of lime juice, fish sauce and sugar - the balance taste of sour, salty and sweet which is also the foundation of cooking Thai food.