Thai Pork & Tomato Curry Noodles
INGREDIENTS
Nam Ngiew Curry Paste:
0.7 oz mild dried chilies, such as guajillo or puya
3-4 spicy dried chilies, optional, to taste
15 cilantro stems, chopped
2 stalks lemongrass, bottom half only, finely chopped
8 thin slices galangal, finely julienned or 1 tsp powdered galangal
10 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup chopped shallots
3 Tablespoons Thai fermented soybean paste (tao jiew), or sub miso
1 Tablespoon fermented shrimp paste (gapi)
The rest:
1.5 lb Asian-style cut pork ribs
6 cups unsalted pork or chicken stock, water is ok in a pinch
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 Tablespoons neutral oil
14 oz ground pork, regular or lean
7 oz blood tofu
1.5 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes
12 oz dry Vietnamese rice vermicelli
Toppings (All optional):
Pickled mustard greens, rinsed and chopped
Fresh lime wedges
Beansprouts
Cilantro or green onions, chopped
Fried garlic
Roasted chili flakes
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the curry paste:
Using a coffee/spice grinder, grind the dried chilies into a powder.
If using an immersion blender, place all remaining curry paste ingredients into a glass measuring cup, putting moist/liquid ingredients on top. Blend into a fine paste, lifting and changing position as you go, and stopping to scrape the sides once in between. Then add the dried chilies and blend to mix.
If using a mortar and pestle, first pound the lemongrass, galangal, and cilantro stems into a fine paste. Then add the garlic and shallots and pound into a fine paste. Add the ground chilies, shrimp paste, and tao jiew. Pound to mix.
For the Pork Ribs:
If the pork ribs come in a long strip, cut between the bones to separate them. If there are meat-only parts, cut them to ½-inch-thick slices.
Place the ribs in a large pot and cover with the stock or water. Add the fish sauce and sugar and bring to a simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for 1.5 hours.
Cook the Ground Pork:
In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high, then add the curry paste. Sauté constantly for about 3 minutes until the paste is aromatic.
Add the ground pork and cook, breaking up the lumps, until it’s no longer clumpy, though it doesn’t need to be fully cooked. Remove from heat.
Pour the ground pork mixture into the ribs pot, and keep it simmering together until the ribs have had a total simmering time of 1.5 hours. The ribs should simmer for at least 45 minutes WITH the curry paste mixture. If you were late adding the curry paste, extend the cooking time to give the ribs 45 minutes.
After the ribs are done simmering, add the blood cubes and tomatoes, and simmer gently for another 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes are soft but still intact.
Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce or tao jiew as needed. It should be salty and umami with a little sweetness to balance, and make sure it is strongly seasoned, as the noodles will dilute it. It should also have plenty of liquid, enough to be "soupy," so if it has become too dry, you can top it up with a bit of water.
Ideally, serve nam ngiew the next day so the flavors have time to mingle.
The Noodles:
Cook the noodles by adding them to boiling water and cooking for about 7-10 minutes for dry noodles, and 2-4 minutes for pre-soaked noodles. Timing varies depending on the size, so check them often; they should be tender with a slight chew, but not al dente.
Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of cold water for the noodles to cool. Once done, scoop them out and place them into the cold water to stop the cooking. Drain into a colander and immediately divide them into serving bowls while they’re still wet and easy to separate.
To serve:
Ladle a generous amount of nam ngiew broth over the noodles, then top with any toppings of your choice. Enjoy!
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This recipe is from Hot Thai Kitchen at: