Thai Mee Krob W/ Stir-Fried Pork and Chicken

Submitted by Sandi From CA

"Few things are more fun in the kitchen than watching rice noodles fluff up in an explosion of Culinary POOF. (That's a scientific term.) But add the rest of these great ingredients adapted from a recipe in "Easy Noodles: Recipes from China, Japan, and Southeast Asia", and…. well…. you're in heaven! NOTE: I honestly can't imagine this dish being complete without using ALL of the toppings (so many intricate flavors going on!), so please try not to omit any."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 17
• Serves: 3-4

ingredients

• peanut oil (for deep frying)
• 4 ounces thin dried rice vermicelli
• 8 ounces very thin Asian noodles (fresh, not dried)
• 4 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 large fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 10 ounces ground chicken
• 8 ounces ground pork (or any minced pork that stir-fries quickly)
• 4 ounces bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar or 1 tablespoon palm sugar
• 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (Thai Kitchen is a good brand)
• 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 lime, juice of, freshly squeezed

• To serve

• 1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
• 1⁄4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 4 scallions, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (optional)

directions

1. Bring a few inches of oil in a pot or wok to 350f or until a piece of noodle fluffs up immediately. Cut the noodles into short, manageable lengths with kitchen shears. Cook a small bundle of noodles at a time - they take only a matter of seconds to puff up, so if you cook them a few at a time, they won't overcook.
2. As each bundle is cooked, remove and drain on paper towels. You may choose to keep them warm in the oven at its lowest temperature, but I don’t bother.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a second wok or large skillet. Add the shallots and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
4. In the meantime, boil a pot of water for the fresh noodles.
5. Add the garlic, jalapeno (from the first set of ingredients above), bean sprouts, chicken and pork and toss for another 3 minutes or until the ground meat is cooked through.
6. Toss the fresh noodles into the water for 10 seconds. That's right, SECONDS. Remove, drain and rinse quickly in a colander with cool water.
7. Reduce the heat of the skillet mixture and season with sugar, fish sauce and vinegar and mix well. Turn off the heat and add the lime juice and soy sauce, if using. Add the drained fresh noodles and mix gently.
8. Put 2/3 of the crispy noodles onto a large heated serving dish. Add the cooked mixture, then the chopped jalapeno, cilantro and scallions and top with the remainder of the crispy noodles and serve. Alternately you can portion the ingredients out onto 4 dishes. Let diners scatter more cilantro, scallions, or finely diced jalapenos onto their serving as they wish.