1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar (white granulated)
1 cup vinegar (white)
1 tsp salt
1/4 lb dried shrimp (kung haeng)
8 each serrano chilies
1 bunch green onions (whites only)
8 oz tofu, firm or extra firm
3 each eggs
2 cup vegetable oil (approx. amnt)
1/4 lb rice noodles (very thin)
Directions
1. Combine the water, sugar, vinegar, and salt in a small saucepan.
Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and cook about ten minutes, until
it forms a thin syrup. Set aside.
2. Put the dried shrimp in a sieve and rinse them thoroughly under
running water. Set them aside in the sieve to drain. Remove the
stems, but not the seeds, from the chilies. Slice the green onions
and chilies lengthwise into thin strips and set them aside together.
3. Slice the tofu into 1/4-inch cubes and set aside. Beat the eggs
lightly, until they are well mixed but not frothy. Strain through a
fine sieve and set aside.
4. Pour about three inches of oil in a wok and heat it to 400
degrees F. Dry the tofu with paper towels and deep fry it until the
cubes are firm and light golden, but not dry and hard. Remove them
from the oil and set aside to drain on paper towels.
5. Using the same oil, deep fry the noodles a handful at a time. The
noodles will puff up immediately and begin to turn brown in about ten
seconds. (Note: these are the same type of noodles that are used to
make chinese chicken salad.) Be careful not to let them burn. They
should be light golden and very puffy. If they do not expand
immediately upon touching the oil, the oil is not hot enough. If
they turn dark immediately, the oil is too hot. Scoop the noodles
out to drain on paper towels. Remove about half the oil from the wok
and save it for another use.
6. Dribble the beaten, sieved eggs over the surface of the hot oil
in the wok, to form narrow strands: holding the bowl of eggs in one
hand, dip the other into the eggs, stretch it out about 12 inches
over the oil, and let the egg run in a thin, steady stream from your
fingertips while moving your hand in a circular motion so the surface
of the oil is covered wit a thin net of egg. You will need to repeat
this procedure about four times. The intent is to create a thin net
of egg strands that will cook quickly without massing together. When
the strands are set completely and light golden on the bottom, flip
them over carefully and brown the other side. Remove from the oil and
drain on paper towels.
7. Dry the shrimp thoroughly with paper towels. Using the same oil,
deep fry the shrimp until they are just crisp and light golden, about
three minutes. Be prepared for the very strong smell they produce as
they fry, but don't be concerned, since the shrimp will taste nothing
like they smell. (You may wish to do this well in advance of the
time your guests will arrive and set the shrimp aside to drain on
paper towels.) They will form a great deal of foam while they are
frying, and it will be necessary to use a strainer to lift them up
occasionally to see how well they are cooking. Do not over cook them
or let them get dry or hard! Remove them from the oil and drain on
paper towels. Discard the remaining oil.
8. Clean the wok thoroughly and place half the sugar syrup from step
1 in it. Heat the syrup almost to boiling, but do not let it boil.
Add half the noodles, half the egg nets (see the variation below),
half the tofu, and half the shrimp. Mix gently until the syrup is
absorbed, being careful to break the noodles as little as possible.
Remove the mixture from the wok and place it on a serving platter.
Repeat this step with the rest of the syrup, noodles, eggs, and
shrimp.
9. Garnish the Mee Krob with the green onion whites and chilies.
Serve immediately or hold it at room temperature for up to two hours.
VARIATION: If the eggs have formed attractive nets (you should be so
lucky!), you may drape them over the Mee Krob as a garnish rather than
adding them in step 8.
From: Thai Home-Cooking From Kamolmal's Kitchen, by William Crawford
and
Kamolmal Pootaraksa. Submitted By TODD OURSTON On FRI, 12-03-93
(19:40)
Servings: 6 servings
Mee Krob (Sweet Thai Noodles) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Asian; Thai
The History of Recipes
Historians have tracked the existance of recipes far back into antiquity, in fact as far back as the ancient Egyptians, and quite possibly further than that. In practice though, in the main part, these old records were just simple pictorial instructions for preparing food.
Fascinatingly, the most ancient recipe discovered so far, according to academics is a series of clay tablets in Sumerian which describe the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making drinkers feel blissful and exhilarated. During the time of the Roman Empire a roman called Apicius wrote some scripts showing how to cook the recipes cooked by his fellow Romans. In his publication, Apicius describes how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into hors d`oeuvre, entrees and afters, something that is very familiar to us today. This early Roman chef describes how the ancient cooks used many aromatic flavours, including many that are still in use today for example basil, fennel and dill. In the fifteenth century, people returning from the crusades brought back a variety of spices and herbs from middle-east cuisine, including spices like coriander, parsley, and rosemary. The introduction of these new tastes prompted a surge in manuscripts on cookery, some of which are kept safe in private libraries. Over the following few hundred years, the powerful and wealthy houses strove to offer the most exotic banquets, and because of this the best chefs and their recipes were much in demand. Notwithstanding that, it wasn`t until the 1800s that cooking and recipe publications reached a high level of popularity. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the USA, devoted their lives to collating, trying out, and recording recipes common in their social group. By the arrival of the 20th century, cook books are greatly in demand mostly due to higher levels of literacy, people having increased free time and having more disposable income. |
We hope you enjoy this Mee Krob (Sweet Thai Noodles) recipe.
