Thai Rice Noodles with Pork and Basil Recipe
A quick wok dish with rice noodles, minced pork and lots of basil is a cousin of the famous Thai basil fried rice, just in noodle form. In Thailand, dishes like this are eaten as a fast lunch from street stalls – at home you can make it in just a few minutes too.
This is a twist on pad kra pao, one of the most popular Thai street food dishes, where spicy stir-fried meat with basil is usually served over rice with a fried egg.
This is one of those dishes that really tastes like street food, yet only needs a handful of easy-to-find ingredients. The rice noodles soak up the meaty sauce so every bite is intense, while the fresh basil and chili keep everything bright and light.
Why this version works
- Soaking the noodles in hot but not boiling water keeps them from overcooking in the wok.
- Mixing the sauce ahead of time lets you stir-fry quickly over high heat without hunting for bottles in the cupboards.
- Frying the meat over high heat gives it a light browning instead of stewing it in its own juices.
- Adding the basil at the end preserves its color and intense, fresh aroma.
Chef's tips
If the noodles are already very soft after soaking, cut the stir-frying time with the sauce down to the bare minimum, just enough to combine everything – otherwise the ribbons will tear. Your wok or pan really needs to be hot: when the meat hits the pan it should sizzle loudly and the moisture should evaporate quickly, rather than turning into a milky liquid. If the dish ends up too salty, throw in a handful of extra soaked noodles and 2–3 tablespoons of water instead of trying to fix it with sugar.
How to serve
Serve the noodles straight from the pan in deep bowls, with extra basil and sliced chili on the table so everyone can adjust the heat. A simple salad of cucumber, lime and a little sugar works great on the side, and you can top the noodles with a Thai-style fried egg with a runny yolk.
Watch out for
- Don’t add too much meat to the wok at once over low heat, or it will start to stew instead of browning.
- Don’t fry the noodles for too long after adding the sauce – they’ll go soft, start to tear and clump together.
- Don’t overdo the soy sauce at the end – it’s easy to cross the line from bold flavor to too salty.
Substitutions
- You can swap the pork for ground turkey or chicken for a lighter version.
- Thai basil can be replaced with regular basil or a mix of basil and cilantro.
- You can substitute rice vinegar with lime juice or a smaller amount of light white wine vinegar.
Ingredients
- rice noodles ryżowy szeroki - 200 g
- minced pork mielone z łopatki wieprzowej - 300 g
- spring onion dymka - 3 pieces
- garlic - 3 cloves
- red chili pepper - 1 piece
- soy sauce sojowy jasny - 2 tablespoons
- oyster sauce ostrygowy - 1.5 tablespoons
- sugar trzcinowy - 1 teaspoon
- rice vinegar or lime juice ryżowy lub sok z limonki - 1 tablespoon
- fresh Thai basil or regular basil - 2 handfuls
- oil roślinny - 2 tablespoons
- water - 3 tablespoons
Preparation
- Pour very hot but not boiling water over the rice noodles and leave for 10–15 minutes, until they soften but are still slightly firm in the center. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside, tossing every few minutes so the ribbons don’t stick together.
- In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and rice vinegar or lime juice. Add 3 tablespoons of water and stir until the sugar dissolves – the sauce should be distinctly salty, slightly sweet, with a gentle acidity.
- Separate the white and green parts of the spring onion and slice both. Finely chop the garlic and chili. Strip the basil leaves from the stems and tear the larger ones in half so they can easily cling to the noodles.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat until it starts to shimmer. Add the white part of the spring onion, garlic and chili and fry for 1–2 minutes, until very fragrant and just turning translucent-golden, but not brown.
- Add the minced meat and immediately break it up into small pieces with a spatula. Fry for 5–6 minutes over fairly high heat, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the meat is lightly browned in places – it shouldn’t be grey or watery.
- Add the drained rice noodles. Pour in the prepared sauce and stir-fry quickly for 2–3 minutes, lifting the noodles with tongs or two spatulas, until they absorb the sauce, turn glossy and are evenly coated but still springy.
- Add the green part of the spring onion and the basil leaves. Stir for about 1 more minute, until the basil just wilts and becomes very fragrant while staying bright green, and the noodles are not tearing or clumping together.
- Taste and, if needed, season with a little extra soy sauce or lime juice. Serve immediately while the noodles are hot and tender but springy, with no loose sauce at the bottom of the pan, just a glossy coating on the ribbons.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
When I’m really short on time, I cut the vegetables down to just spring onion and chili and let the basil do all the “color work” – it still disappears from the pan in minutes. I always fry a bit more than I need, because the next day these noodles are the first thing gone from the lunch boxes at work.
