Dry-style Tom Yum Noodles

Tom yum noodles, dry-style ก๋วยเตี๋ยวต้มยำแห้ง (makes ~2-4)

Vegetarian option: made with homemade egg noodles, fried tofu, and sweet soy sauce. (see Notes section for vegan and vegetarian mods)

Ingredients:

Noodles and Toppings

• 1 lb of pho noodles or your noodle of choice. I recommend sticking with an Asian-style noodle but you could any long and flat pasta in a pinch

• 1/4 lb of lean ground pork

• 6-12 Asian meatballs

• 2 cups of bean sprouts

• 4 tbsp roasted and crushed/chopped peanuts (use a mortar pestle for better results)

• 1 tbsp crispy garlic (see notes for store bought)

  • Homemade version - 5-10 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

• 1/4 cup of chopped scallions for garnish

• Ground white pepper (a pinch per serving)

Seasoning / Sauce

• 4 tbsp fish sauce

• 4 tbsp sugar

• 6-8 tbsp pickled pepper vinegar (see note)

• 1/4-1/2 tsp chili flakes or to taste (see notes)

Steps

Items to make ahead

Homemade crispy garlic in oil (skip if using store bought)

1. Peel and mince 5-10 cloves of garlic

2. Add 1 cup of neutral oil to a small pot or saucepan

3. Add minced garlic to pot

4. Heat oil mixture on low. Stir constantly to break up clumps and prevent burning. As the oil heats up, you should see small bubbles form as the water evaporates from the garlic. Stir constantly and watch very closely. The garlic will be pale for about 5 minutes but once they start to turn golden, turn off the heat and continue stirring. Once the bubbling stops, you can stop stirring. Set aside.

For storage, pour the entire mixture into an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. 

Pickled Jalapenos or Serranos

Prep at least a day in advance

• 6-8 jalapeno or serrano peppers; washed

• 1 cup white vinegar

• 1/8 tsp salt

1. Slice peppers into 1/8 inch pieces

2. Mix vinegar, salt, and peppers into a clean jar. Refrigerate until ready

Prep

1. Set a small pot with 2-4 cups of water to boil and a pinch of salt. Add ground pork and meatballs (if using) into the boiling water. Break up the ground pork with a fork as it cooks. Cook for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat once ground pork is cooked through and set aside (don't drain it, keep the water!)

2. Mix sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, and chilies into a bowl. Stir to melt sugar

3. Set a medium pot with water to cook noodles and blanch bean sprouts. Enough to quickly submerge noodles and bean sprouts (about 1-2 qts)

Assemble

Cook each serving separately for best results

Crushing it (peanuts)!

1. Set water to a low boil, put 1/2 cup of raw bean sprouts in and cook for 10 seconds. Take it out using a spider strainer and place in a large serving bowl

2. For a small serving, use 4 oz of noodles (6 for large) and drop into the hot water. Stir to prevent clumping and take out immediately (~5 secs; they cook really fast!)

3. Place cooked noodles into the same bowl of bean sprouts

4. Add your desired amount of ground pork and meatballs

5. Repeat to make more servings

6. To each serving add:

   1. 1 tsp of the garlic oil and garlic crisps 

   2. 2-3 tbsp of your seasoning mix

   3. 2-3 tbsp of the reserved pork broth to help with mixing later

   4. Top with ground peanuts, chopped cilantro, and a pinch of white pepper

7. Serve immediately

Eating

1. Mix everything together. Add more seasoning as needed. 

In Thailand, each table at the noodle shop will have a condiments tray with chili flakes, pickled pepper in vinegar, sugar, and fish sauce. Some shops will also have special seasoning like chili oil or homemade hot sauce in addition to the standard. 

Customization is the norm; you won’t offend anyone! If you like it sweet, add the sugar, if you like it sour like me, add more vinegar. If you’re crazy like my dad then pile on the chili flakes.

Notes:

• Pickled pepper vinegar can be made ahead of time and is a great addition to other noodle dishes like Rad Na. If you don’t want to make it, you can sub with good ol’ white vinegar, just add less as it tends to be very strong on its own. 

• Garlic crisps - make sure to stick to an Asian style or brand. The below brands are for reference. Do not confuse crisps with granulated or dehydrated garlic!

  • Golden Boy brand

  • Flying Horse brand

• Chili flakes - look for Thai chilies or bird’s eye chili flakes. The standard chili flake is an Italian variety and will not be as spicy nor fragrant. You can definitely substitute in a pinch

  • Thai chili flakes

• Vegan and vegetarian modifications:

  • For those looking for meatless options, you can opt out of using fish sauce and replace it with vegan fish sauce or a combination of salt and dark soy sauce (Dragon Fly brand).

  • Skip the meat toppings and use fried tofu and soft boiled egg. These are common toppings for tom yum noodles as well. Add noodle blanching water to help mix instead of the pork broth.

Read more about Tom Yum Noodles in my post here.