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–+ servings
a blue bowl of rad na with chili vinegar and chili flakes on the side

Rad Na - Fresh Rice Noodles with Pork Gravy ราดหน้า

By: Pailin Chongchitnant
A hidden gem of Thai street food, rad na is made from chewy fresh rice noodles that are toasted, then drenched with a tasty pork gravy. It's a quick meal that is simple to make at home! If you don't eat pork, chicken can be substituted.
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
 
 

Marinated Pork

  • 12 oz pork butt (shoulder), sliced into bite sized pieces, about ⅛" thick
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
  • 2 tablespoon tapioca starch, or cornstarch
  • 1 large egg white

The Noodles

  • 25 oz fresh wide rice noodles , (see note 1)
  • 1 teaspoon black soy sauce, or dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil

The Gravy

  • 2 tablespoon neutral oil
  • 6 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 tablespoon Thai fermented soybean paste (tao jiew), or low sodium miso (see note 2)
  • 3 cups pork stock, unsalted, preferably homemade (see note 3)
  • 1½ tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Golden Mountain Sauce, or sub Maggi Seasoning or oyster sauce
  • 1½ tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 7 oz Chinese broccoli (gai lan), stems thinly sliced on a bias, leaves roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup tapioca starch, (see note 4)
  • ¼ cup water

Condiments (optional)

  • Chili vinegar, highly recommended (see note 5)
  • Roasted chili flakes, (see note 6)

Notes

  1. If fresh rice noodles are not available, you can use 8 oz (225 g) of dried wide rice noodles, 8 oz (225 g) dried rice vermicelli (the super thin ones), or 12 oz (340 g) wonton noodles.
  2. I have had success using the same quantity of low-sodium miso. If using regular miso, start with 2 tablespoon and add more at the end if it needs more salt.
  3. A good pork stock is the most important part of rad na’s flavour so I recommend making your own if possible; here’s an easy pork stock recipe. A good chicken stock will also work.
  4. While cornstarch will also work, tapioca starch is preferred as it cooks up clear and is the traditional texture of rad na. It also reheats better because cornstarch tends to gel up in the fridge and can be stubborn to get it smooth again.
  5. For the chili vinegar, you just need some white vinegar and any kind of spicy chilis such as Thai chilis, serranos or jalapenos. Whether red or green is up to your preference. Instructions for how to make it is below.
  6. Roasted chili flakes are useful, common condiments that we use to add heat to any dish. Simply toast some hot pepper flakes in a dry saute pan over medium low heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly until they darken slightly and smell smokey. You can also toast whole dried chilies in the same manner until they're slightly charred, then grind into flakes in a spice grinder.

Instructions
 

Marinade the pork:

  • Mix the pork with all the marinade ingredients, and let sit for at least 20 minutes and up to a day ahead.
    12 oz pork butt (shoulder), 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, ½ teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon white pepper, 2 tablespoon tapioca starch, 1 large egg white

For the Chili Vinegar

  • Thinly slice hot peppers of your choice then add to a small bowl. Cover with white vinegar and let sit for at least 15 minutes, or until ready to use (amounts do not need to be precise). This will keep indefinitely in the fridge.

Cook the noodles:

  • Toss the noodles together with the black soy sauce to stain them. You can make them darker or lighter according to your preference.
    25 oz fresh wide rice noodles, 1 teaspoon black soy sauce
  • Heat a large work or a nonstick frying pan over high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the oil, then add the noodles and spread them out as much as you can.  The goal is to get some browning on the noodles, so let them sit and char a bit without stirring. Once the bottom side is toasted, flip the noodles and repeat on the other side. 
    1 tablespoon neutral oil
  • The noodles will start to stick together as they toast - this is okay as they will loosen once the gravy goes on them. But once they start looking a bit clumpy, it's a sign that you should take them out of the pan soon, as too much clumping makes them hard to separate later. Set the noodles aside.

For the Gravy:

  • In a wok or a large saucepan over medium heat, add the oil, garlic and fermented soybean paste. Saute until the garlic starts to turn golden brown. Deglaze with the pork stock then add the soy sauce, Golden Mountain Sauce, sugar, white pepper, and sesame oil; bring to a full boil.
    2 tablespoon neutral oil, 6 cloves garlic, 3 tablespoon Thai fermented soybean paste (tao jiew), 3 cups pork stock, 1½ tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Golden Mountain Sauce, 1½ tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • While waiting for the sauce to boil, put the tapioca starch in a bowl and add just enough water to dissolve it - about ¼ cup but no need to be precise here. Stir to make a slurry and set aside (leave the spoon in the bowl, you'll need it again).
    ¼ cup tapioca starch, ¼ cup water
  • Once the sauce reaches a full boil, add the pork and spread the pieces out quickly. Once the pork pieces are all separated, stir in the Chinese broccoli and bring the sauce to a boil.
    7 oz Chinese broccoli (gai lan)
  • Once boiling, give the starch slurry another stir, then pour HALF of it into the gravy and quickly stir to mix. Once the sauce returns to a boil, it will have thickened, and if you want it even thicker, add more of the remaining slurry. Remove from heat when you are happy with the sauce consistency, which should just be thick enough to coat the noodles, but not gloopy. Note: Always wait until the sauce returns to a boil before deciding if it needs more thickening. 
  • Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If it needs more salt, add more tao jiew or miso (if you want to add more miso paste, dissolve it in a small amount of water first before pouring it in). You can also add more white pepper if you like.
  • To serve, divide the noodles into serving bowls, then ladle the gravy over the noodles. Serve with prik nam som and/or roasted chili flakes. Enjoy!
    Chili vinegar, Roasted chili flakes
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