Hi.  My name is Mark and this is my cooking blog.

I get asked a lot for my recipes, so I decided to start this cooking blog.  What you’ll find here will be my recipes and my variations on others’ recipes, my cooking tips and who knows what else. 

I should say up front that I’m lactose intolerant (check out my lactose intolerance site www.nowhey.org) and I also try to live a low-carb lifestyle.  So the recipes you’ll find here will generally be devoid of milk and milk products and try, wherever possible, to be low in carbs.

I hope you enjoy the site and the recipes.

Mark

Drunken Noodles is one of my favorite Thai dishes.  Some restaurants call it Spicy Noodles and the actual Thai name for the dish is Pad Kee Mao which literally means Stir Fried Shit Drunk.  No one really knows why this dish has this name as there’s no alcohol in it.  The best explanation I’ve heard is that it’s a favorite of late night drinkers in Thailand, on their way home from the bar when they are Kee Mao.  (Others say it’s because the noodles can’t stand up, like a drunk, but I don’t buy that.  Most noodle dishes are like that.)  You can make this with shrimp, chicken, beef, tofu or just about anything.  I’ve had it in restaurants with various veggies added in like onion, green pepper, string beans and more.  Mine is a simple recipe with just noodles and meat, but I like to serve it with a steamed (microwaved) Asian green veggie on the side like Baby Bok Choy or Choy Sum.  The simple greens make a nice contrast with the complex flavors of the Drunken Noodles.

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

4.5 ozs of dried, 1/2″ wide rice noodle sticks
1 tbs fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tbs reduced sodium soy sauce (like Kikkoman Lite)
1 tbs Golden Mountain Sauce (see notes)
2 tsp Black Vinegar (see notes)
1 tsp sriracha sauce (chili sauce)
2 tbs dark brown sugar
1.5 tbs water
3 garlic cloves, minced
12 large raw shrimp, tails off (or meat of your choice)
1 cup of fresh basil leaves (see notes)
1 tbs plus 1 tsp peanut oil

Bring some water to a boil in a kettle.  While it’s coming to the boil, break the noodles into 4 inch pieces and put them into a pyrex bowl.  You want nice wide rice noodles – I like 3 Ladies Brand – about 1/2 inch wide or wider.  Pour the boiling water over the noodles.  Immediately stir the noodles to keep them from sticking together and cover.  Let the noodles stand in the water for 15 minutes.

While the noodles are soaking mix the fish, soy, golden mountain and sriracha sauces, water, black vinegar and brown sugar in a small bowl.  Set aside.

After the noodles have soaked for 15 minutes, rinse well under cold water and put them back in the bowl.  Add about a teaspoon of peanut oil to the bowl and toss the noodles until they are well coated and plulling any apart that are stuck together.  I just use my hands.  (This is my secret method for keeping the noodles from sticking together in a big clump when you stir fry them.)  Set aside.

Heat a large skillet or wok with the remaining oil and the minced garlic on medium high heat.  When the garlic starts to puff up, add the shrimp and cook for about 1 minute on each side until they just start to turn pink.  Remove the shrimp and set aside.  Add the noodles to the skillet and stir fry for about 3-4 minutes.  Now add the sauce and toss until the noodles are well coated and cook for about another minute or two.  Add the basil and the shrimp back and continue to toss until the basil starts to wilt.  Serve!

You can substitute any kind of meat or protein for the shrimp.  With anything other than shrimp I wouldn’t bother to remove it, just leave it in while you fry the noodles – but you don’t want overcooked shrimp. 

Golden Mountain sauce will be hard to find unless you go to an Asian grocery, but it is the same as Maggi seasoning sauce which any good market will have. (The bottles all have the same distinctive look – but there are a few versions of Maggi out there – look for the Thai version without MSG, but any will really do.)  Black vinegar is also from the Asian grocery – if you can’t find it then I’d use rice wine vinegar (but I admit I haven’t tried it). Fish sauce (nam pla) is pretty easy to find these days in any well stocked market. 

To make this more spicy, just use more sriracha sauce or let your guests add their own at the table.

This dish is traditionally made with Holy Basil but I have yet to find that.  I’ve made it with Thai Basil and regular fresh (sweet) basil and it’s good both ways, but I prefer the Thai Basil.