Thai Rice Noodles

      4 oz Dried rice noodles
           -- medium size
    1/4 c  Vegetable oil
      2    Garlic cloves; finely minced
      3 tb Chopped raw shrimp
      3 tb Lean ground pork
      1 ts Sugar
      1 tb Fish sauce
      1 ts Soy sauce
      2 ts Hot chili sauce
      2    Beaten eggs
      2 tb Tamarind sauce
    1/4 c  Bean sprouts
      1    Scallion; sliced
      1 tb Salty preserved radish
      2 tb Coarsely ground peanuts
           - (salted or unsalted)
      2 tb Sliced green onions
      2    Lemon wedges
      1    Cucumber

1. Soak noodles in hot water for 20 minutes, or until soft. Drain. 2. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet and saute garlic until golden. Add the shrimp and ground pork and stir-fry until lightly browned. Add the sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, and chili sauce and stir-fry until the sugar dissolves. Pour in the beaten eggs, let them set slightly, then stir to scramble. 3. Add the noodles and stir-fry about 2 minutes. Push noodles to side of wok or skillet. Add the tamarind sauce and cook for 1 minute. Add the bean sprouts, scallions, radish, and stir-fry until bean sprouts are slightly cooked, about 1 minute. Stir noodles down into tamarind mixture and stir-fry until well-mixed. 4. Pile noodles on a serving dish and sprinkle with peanuts and scallions. Seed cucumber and slice lengthwise into 4 pieces. Place lemon and cucumber wedges on side of plate.


Yield: 4 Servings