Mee Krob (sweet Thai Noodles)

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the water, sugar, vinegar, and salt in a small saucepan.  Bring
the mixture to a gentle boil and cook about ten minutes, until  it
forms a thin syrup. Set aside. Put the dried shrimp in a sieve and
rinse them thoroughly under running water. Set them aside in the  sieve
to drain. Remove the stems, but not the seeds, from the  chilies. Slice
the green onions and chilies lengthwise into thin  strips and set them
aside together. Slice the tofu into 1/4-inch  cubes and set aside. Beat
the eggs lightly, until they are well mixed  but not frothy. Strain
through a fine sieve and set aside. Pour about  three inches of oil in
a wok and heat it to 400 degrees Dry the tofu  with paper towels and
deep fry it until the cubes are firm and light  golden, but not dry and
hard. Remove them from the oil and set aside  to drain on paper towels.
Using the same oil, deep fry the noodles a  handful at a time. The
noodles will puff up immediately and begin to  turn brown in about ten
seconds. (Note: these are the same type of  noodles that are used to
make chinese chicken salad.) Be careful not  to let them burn. They
should be light golden and very puffy. If they  do not expand
immediately upon touching the oil, the oil is not hot  enough.  If they
turn dark immediately, the oil is too hot.  Scoop  the noodles out to
drain on paper towels.  Remove about half the oil  from the wok and
save it for another use. Dribble the beaten, sieved  eggs over the
surface of the hot oil in the wok, to form narrow  strands: holding the
bowl of eggs in one hand, dip the other into the  eggs, stretch it out
about 12 inches over the oil, and let the egg  run in a thin, steady
stream from your fingertips while moving your  hand in a circular
motion so the surface of the oil is covered wit a  thin net of egg.
You will need to repeat this procedure about four  times. The intent is
to create a thin net of egg strands that will  cook quickly without
massing together. When the strands are set  completely and light golden
on the bottom, flip them over carefully  and brown the other side.
Remove from the oil and drain on paper  towels. Dry the shrimp
thoroughly with paper towels. Using the same  oil, deep fry the shrimp
until they are just crisp and light golden,  about three minutes. Be
prepared for the very strong smell they  produce as they fry, but don't
be concerned, since the shrimp will  taste nothing like they smell.
(You may wish to do this well in  advance of the time your guests will
arrive and set the shrimp aside  to drain on paper towels.) They will
form a great deal of foam while  they are frying, and it will be
necessary to use a strainer to lift  them up occasionally to see how
well they are cooking. Do not over  cook them or let them get dry or
hard! Remove them from the oil and  drain on paper towels. Discard the
remaining oil. Clean the wok  thoroughly and place half the sugar syrup
from step 1 in it. Heat the  syrup almost to boiling, but do not let it
boil. Add half the  noodles, half the egg nets (see the variation
below), half the tofu,  and half the shrimp. Mix gently until the syrup
is absorbed, being  careful to break the noodles as little as possible.
Remove the  mixture from the wok and place it on a serving platter.
Repeat this  step with the rest of the syrup, noodles, eggs, and
shrimp. Garnish  the Mee Krob with the green onion whites and chilies.
Serve  immediately or hold it at room temperature for up to two hours.
VARIATION:  If the eggs have formed attractive nets (you should be so
lucky!), you may drape them over the Mee Krob as a garnish rather than
adding them in step 8.  From: Thai Home-Cooking From Kamolmal's
Kitchen, by William Crawford  and Kamolmal Pootaraksa. Submitted By
TODD OURSTON On FRI, 12-03-93  (19:40)  From Gemini's MASSIVE
MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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