If you’re a noodle lover, you MUST try this recipe. The flat rice noodles is tossed in hot wok and topped with flavourful gravy.
What is Rad Na?
Rad na Thai noodles is often sold together with its dry wok-fried counterpart, Pad See Ew. What makes the gravy sauce dressed on the flat rice noodles (similar to ho fun) unique is the aroma of the light fermented soy beans. As with many fermented foods, the soy beans packs an umami punch to the whole dish, making it wonderfully addictive to eat.
The gravy is thickened with potato starch and speckles of beaten egg giving it a silky luxurious mouthfeel. However, I feel that this can sometime be overly done which can make it gloopy. The texture is a debatable topic of this dish as I’ve heard some people describing it as ‘snot’ before – well, not for me. The addition of the starch helps with coating of the gravy on the noodles, just don’t over do it.
Both Rad Na and Pad See Ew are the more substantial selections of the street food options in Thailand. The dishes are quick to make so they’re made to order on a hot wok mounted on the little street food carts. Ingredients are cheap but very tasty and substantial at the same time, making it the popular choice amongst the worker people.
Rad Na Rice Noodles Recipe Key Steps
You will find that most of the preparation of Rad Na is very similar to Pad See Ew. In fact, marinating the meat and caramelising the noodles will follow similar steps.
Step 1: Meat marinate
Marinating the protein in advance will allow for maximum flavour penetration while also tenderising the meat. The corn starch in the recipe helps to tenderise the protein. This is a technique that is often used in Asian cookery 😉. There’s nothing worse than biting into a dry, chewy and flavourless bit of meat. So for best result, marinate the protein overnight or at least 30 minutes ahead of cooking. Like many of my recipes, it works with your choice of protein.
Step 2: Caramelising the noodles
This is the secret to a delicious noodles. Like how we should marinate the meat, treating the noodles with the love it rightfully deserve is just as important! Caramelising the noodles allows for a beautiful ‘burnt wok’ aroma (I learnt that this is also an important dimension in a Chinese cuisine). The steps are to simply caramelise a bit of sugar on a hot wok, then toss the flat noodles to pick up the ‘wok hey’ (breath of the wok) then flavour with some salt and soy sauce. The crucial bit would be taking the caramel to a dark stage but not completely burn it.
Step 3: Get gravy going
In essence, this beautiful gravy is a soy sauce base with a hint of sweetness. The addition of the fermented soy bean also adds an umami richness. The texture is achieved by thickening the soup with potato starch slurry and a bit of beaten egg. If you have any leftovers, you can also turn this gravy into another dish – Khao Nah Gai. I love cooking dishes that can be made in big portions, stored, and made into something different. It’s super convenient, as I must say it’s not everyday that we have time in our busy schedules to cook.
Rad Na Thai Rice Noodles with Gravy (ราดหน้า)
Ingredients
Pork Marinade
- 150 g pork loin, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp corn flour
- ½ tsp baking soda optional, it helps tenderises the meat
- ½ tsp white pepper powder
- 2 eggs medium chicken egg
Gravy Sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil any cooking oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 tbsp fermented soy beans
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp potato starch
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 50 g broccoli spears blanched
- 400 g Ho fun noodles or flat rice noodles
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Marinate the pork at least 30 minutes ahead of cooking by mixing all the ingredients together then set aside in the fridge.
- In the hot sauce pan, sautee the chopped garlic in 1 tbsp of cooking oil until you can smell the beautiful aroma then add the fermented soy beans.
- Add the chicken stock (use vegetable stock instead) then bring it to the boil. Then add the seasoning.
- Once the water boils, add the marinated pork. Ensure that the pork is cooked then season the gravy to taste.
- When the pork is cooked and you're happy with the taste, make a slurry with the potato starch with the cold water. Mix well, then add to the gravy as you stir. This will thicken the sauce. Set aside.
- In a smoking hot wok, swirl 2 tbsp of cooking oil around then sprinkle 1 tbsp of sugar. As the sugar starts to caramelise, add the hofun noodles. Toss constantly and quickly to avoid the noodles clumping together.
- To serve, plate the blanched brocoli spears with the noodles then pour the gravy sauce we made earlier. Then sprinkle a bit of white pepper powder on top as garnish.
Rad Na Condiments
Like many of the Thai noodle dishes, it is always served with a selection of condiments so that everyone can have a go at the last touch on the dish to their liking ✨. So for an absolute authentic feel, serve the Rad Na with chilli flakes, vinegar chilli, sugar and fish sauce on the side.
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