Laos Drunken Noodles

Passport & Plate - Drunken Noodles

Australia | Tuesday, March 3, 2015 | 4 photos

Ingredients
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp kecap manis
1 tsp oyster sauce
½ tbs fish sauce
1 tbs peanut oil
3/4 tsp of minced garlic (equals three quarters of a clove)
125g of chicken breast, thinly sliced against the grain and skin off
1/8 of an onion, sliced
80g of fresh rice noodles
¼ of a cup of Thai basil leaves
¼ medium tomato
1/8 tsp of white pepper

 

How to prepare this recipe
Mix the soy sauce, kecap manis, oyster sauce, and fish sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat oil to medium high in a wok and cook garlic until light brown.
Add the chicken and onions stirring until the meat is half cooked, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the rice noodles, sauce mix, tomatoes and basil; stir to combine for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Make sure the noodles are cooked until the edges are just starting to crips.
Sprinkle white pepper to combine well and adjust seasonings as necessary.

 

The story behind this recipe
I worked in Laos for just over a year and lived next door to a fabulous small family run restaurant. My flat only had a small kitchen with a two ring burner so more often than not I popped next door to order my dinner. My favourite dish was this drunken noodles. It was full of flavour, fresh ingredients and went down well with a bottle of beer lao. I got to know the owners of the restaurant quite well and I was invited to celebrate family occasions and while language was a barrier with the Mother aka the chef, her daughter was often on hand to translate. It was lovely to be able to get to know some locals as it was easy to get caught up in the expat community.

This recipe is special to me because it brings back memories of my year spent in Laos and the wonderful food and fun I had while living there. But more importantly it reminds me of the wonderful family who lived next door and shared their family with me.