Rice Noodles in Thick Gravy

This simple dish, called rat nha in Thai, is widely available throughout Thailand, where for many it's a 'comfort' food. In stalls, the gravy is usually prepared in a large pot and ladled out over bowls of noodles and kale. If you can't find Chinese kale, broccoli is a good match for the color, crunchiness and taste of Chinese kale. Likewise, cornstarch can just as easily be used in place of tapioca flour (cassava starch) as a thickening agent.

Pork and kale in thick gravy over noodles

Those familiar with Chinese hot and sour soup may find the taste and consistency of the gravy quite similar. In fact, at home I will often use leftover hot and sour soup to make rat nha on following days.

An interesting and tasty variation on this recipe replaces the fresh rice noodles with crispy deep fried wheat noodles (bamee grawp). For meat, you can use chicken, beef and even seafood in place of the pork.

Ingredients

Servings: 1

Preparation

1. Heat the wok over a high flame. Add oil and stir-fry the rice noodles. Add black soy sauce, sugar and mix well. Transfer to the serving plate.
2. Reheat pan. Add oil and stir-fry the garlic. Add pork and continue cooking. Next add kale and season with white soy sauce and fermented soy bean.
3. Add chicken stock and cassava starch. Stir well until the soup becomes thick. Then pour the soup over rice noodles. Sprinkle with ground pepper.