THE EVERYTHING® THAI COOKBOOK (10 page)

cup honey

cup rice or white vinegar

5 tablespoons sugar

2–3 drops red food coloring

1 tablespoon Tamarind Concentrate (see recipe on page 18)

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

2 eggs, beaten

½ pound thin rice stick noodles, broken into handfuls

½ cup dried shrimp

1 cup bean sprouts

10 small lime wedges

1. Combine the honey, vinegar, sugar, food coloring, and tamarind in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken; remove from heat and set aside.
   
2. Bring about 3 inches of vegetable oil to 360 degrees in a deep fryer or skillet. Drop a single layer of the rice stick noodles into the hot oil, making sure to leave enough room for them to cook evenly. Turn the noodles with a slotted spoon as soon as they begin to puff up. As soon as the noodles are golden, remove them to paper towels to drain. Repeat until all of the noodles are cooked.
   
3. Add the dried shrimp to the oil and cook for 45 seconds or so. Remove to paper towels.
   
4. Pour out all but a thin coat of the oil from the skillet. Add the beaten eggs and stir-fry them quickly, shirring them into long strips. As soon as they are cooked, remove them to paper towels.
   
5. Bring the sauce back to a boil. Stir in the shrimp and continue to boil for 2 minutes.
   
6. Place about
   of the noodles on a serving platter and spoon about
   of the sauce over the top; gently toss to coat the noodles evenly being careful not to crush the noodles. Repeat until all of the noodles are coated in sauce.
   
7. To serve, mound the noodles, place the egg strips over them, and top with the bean sprouts. Pass the lime wedges.
   

¼ cup vegetable oil

10 hard-boiled eggs, cooled and peeled

2 shallots, thinly sliced

cup light brown sugar

3 tablespoons fish sauce

cup Tamarind Concentrate (see recipe on page 18)

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Dried hot chili flakes to taste

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the whole eggs in the skillet and fry until golden brown. Remove the eggs to paper towels and set aside. (If your skillet can't hold all of the eggs comfortably, do this in batches.)
   
2. Add the shallots to the skillet and sauté until just beginning to brown. Remove the shallots from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside.
   
3. Put the brown sugar, fish sauce, and tamarind in the skillet. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes; remove from heat.
   
4. Cut the eggs in half vertically and place them face-up on a rimmed serving dish. Spread the shallots over the eggs and then drizzle the eggs with the sauce. Garnish with cilantro and chili pepper flakes.
   

The Secret to Making Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs

The perfect hard-boiled egg has a delicate white and a fully cooked yolk, without even a hint of the unattractive gray shadow that affects an improperly cooked egg. The perfect hard-boiled egg is also easy to peel. To achieve this, put the eggs in enough cold water to cover them by 1 inch and boil for 1 minute only. Then remove from heat, cover, and let them sit for 15 minutes. Then, transfer the eggs to a bath of ice water for 15 to 20 minutes. They should then peel easily.

6 cups water

1½ cups salt

1 dozen eggs

1. Combine the water and the salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
   
2. Carefully place the eggs in a container. Pour the salt water over the eggs and seal the container tightly. Place the container in the refrigerator and let the eggs cure for at least 1 month.
   
3. To serve, hard-boil the eggs, let cool to room temperature, then peel, slice, and enjoy.
   

1 pound rice sticks, broken into 3-inch segments

Vegetable oil for frying

Salt to taste

Curry powder to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste

1. Pour 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil into a large skillet and heat to 350 degrees. Fry the rice sticks in batches (making sure not to overcrowd the pan), turning them quickly as they puff up. After they stop crackling in the oil, transfer the puffed sticks to paper towels to drain.
   
2. While the rice sticks are still hot, sprinkle salt on 1 batch; sprinkle a second batch with curry powder; and a third batch with cayenne pepper to taste.
   

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes

4 green plantains

1 pound taro root

1 cup rice flour

1 cup sticky rice flour

Water

1 teaspoon black pepper