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Hallo to all my Thai Foodie Friends. Here we are at the close of another year of cooking and eating our favourite cuisine-THAI! So many of you love noodle dishes and ask for more recipes that include noodles. With that in mind I am sharing a wonderful and easy Thai Noodle dish that I learned from a street hawker in Bangkok's Chinatown many years ago.

In Thailand and in Thai restaurants you will delight in the many noodle offerings. The most popular in the West is Pad Thai, but there are so many other noodle dishes that I prefer including Krua Gai. Another is Pad Kee Mao (Drunkard’s Noodles) which are often eaten late at night after an evening of drinking Mekong Whiskey and or Singha Beer.

In Bangkok’s Chinatown there are many versions of noodles including some with prawn or shrimp, others use pork, some use dried squid and chicken together as in this recipe. Bangkok’s Chinatown streets and small sois become instant night time restaurants as vendors pull their noodle carts in place, set up small tables and chairs along the side-walks and sois. I often feel this must be the way it was 200 years ago as I smell the spices, and begin to cough as I breathe in the chile infused air. The sound of slurping and laughter greet you and the continuous clang-scrap-clang of busy woks delivering the special feasts of each cook.

I feel every kitchen needs a well seasoned smoky wok to truly create such noodle recipes. It is a country cousin of the special flavor of the well seasoned cast iron skillets our grandmothers used to fry up the Sunday chicken. Spun steel woks are readily available in Asian stores and very easy to use! However, they must be seasoned prior to using as this charring of hot oil imparts a fragrance and taste that cannot be duplicated in a non-stick “modern” skillet or pan. I use a high flame with a wok ring or the side burner on the barbeque for smoky dishes.

Rice Noodles (kuai tiao) – fresh ones are available from Asian markets. I often use the dried rice noodles which I soak in warm water for 20 minutes to soften. Either works great. For this noodle dish use the wide flat rice noodles called sen yai (Banh Pho or Pad Thai Noodles if fresh).

Enjoy!

Chicken and Squid Rice Noodles
Noodles are a very popular street food in Thailand. This easy to make at home noodle stirfry is sure to please young and old alike!

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Mary-Anne Durkee, Thai Food Editor
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