Ringing in 2011 with Noodles

We stayed in for New Years Eve this year but I took the opportunity to make a special dinner. I love both Asian food but especially noodles. My friend, Ben, and I had met midweek for pho at Pho 79 and I was not only craving more and wanting to give Rick the chance to taste some but wanted to create a more satisfying experience with more meat, better noodles. and lots more veggies--mung beans, cilantro, lime juice.

From the library I checked out Noodles Every Day by Corinne Tang. I chose Rice Noodle Soup with Ground Pork and Shrimp from page 113. Then I headed out to United Noodle, only a few blocks away, to get the supplies I'd need including: rice stick noodles, small dried shrimp and chili-garlic sauce. I went back the next day to pick up a couple of those soup spoons you see at Asian restaurants.

Photos of the result are posted to my Flickr account. Other items for dinner included steamed pork and vegetable buns, sake and buttermilk vanilla panna cotta.

Here's the noodle recipe for 6 servings:

8 to 10 oz. dried narrow flat rice sticks, soaked until pliable
24 small headless tiger shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 cups mung bean sprouts
2 1/2 quarts Southeast Asian stock (I used Kikkoman Hon Tsuyu soup and sauce base; directions for mixing with water are on the container)
1 lb coarsely ground pork (I formed into balls)
1/2 cup small, dried shrimp
Fish sauce
Freshly ground coarse black pepper
3 limes, quartered
1 cup chopped cilantro
3 scallions, chopped and thinly sliced
6 fresh red Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded and sliced
chili-garlic sauce (I used bottled from United Noodles)

Boil water and cook the noodles until tender but firm, about 10 seconds. Using a strainer to scoop out the noodles, drain them and divide among the bowls. Cook the shrimp in the same water until opaque, about 1 minute. Drain, and distribute the shrimp among the noodle servings. Top each one with mung bean sprouts.

In another large pot, bring the soup base and water to boil over high heat. Working in batches, put the pork balls in a ladle, adding some hot broth to it and release into the hot broth. Add the dried shrimp, if using, or season with fish sauce and pepper to taste. Continue to boil for 5 minutes or until pork is cooked through.

Ladle the broth, along with some pork balls and dried shrimp into each bowl, making sure to cover the noodles and bean sprouts. Taking a lime wedge or two, squeeze fresh juice over each bowl, and garnish with scallions, fresh cilantro and chili-garlic sauce.