Drunken Noodles

This is the dish that really hooked me on Thai food. I had it at a restaurant so this is not the exact one, but it's close. Until this point I think the only Thai dish I had actually cooked was Pad Thai. Oh, and some spring rolls that didn't really....roll. Anyway.. this was a really yummy recipe that we all enjoyed a lot. It was really spicy though, so be careful! I actually adapted the recipe some and it was still really spicy! I'll include the ways that I changed it in parentheses. I honestly can't imagine how hot it would have been if I had included all of the peppers that it called for but if you're adventurous, go for it! This is from the book I mentioned before, True Thai by Victor Sodsook with Theresa Volpe Laursen and Byron Laursen.
Also, this book calls it Drunken Spaghetti because they replaced the rice noodles with spaghetti noodles and it worked splendidly.
Another note on the name: you may be wondering why it's called "drunken" anything. It has no alcohol in the recipe! There are several theories that I've heard on this. The one I had heard before was that it's so spicy that it's said you could get drunk on all the water you'll drink! I can believe this! Another is that you have to drink so much that you end up drunk because I guess it's assumed you're drinking alcohol. Another that is shared in the cook book is that chilies are thought by some to be a cure for hangovers. Therefore this meal was the perfect thing to eat when you have one. I personally like the first one, but take your pick! Either way, there is no way you will get drunk from drunken noodles! Also, there is quite a bit of prep work for this recipe but once you start cooking you have to move really fast. As is the way with most wok-cooked meals. Just keep that in mind. Also, the cooking times are all aprox. so don't freak out if you go over your 45 seconds or something. For some of it you may have to adjust a little depending on how hot your wok is. For the most part, though, in this recipe it seems pretty accurately timed.

Drunken Spaghetti

1 pound spaghetti

1/2 cup chicken stock or canned chicken broth (I used broth)

8 Serrano chilies ( used 5 1/2)

24 cloves garlic (I told you there was a lot!)

1 cup loosely packed chopped Italian basil

6 small dried Japanese chilies (I couldn't find Japanese chilies anywhere so I used the substitution the author recommended which was dried chilies de arbol and I only used 2 1/2)

2 1/2 T veg. oil

1 pound ground beef

6 plum tomatoes, cut in half and sliced into thin wedges

1 small red onion, cut in half and finely sliced

3 scallions, including the green tops, angle-cut into 1-inch pieces, bulbs cut in half lengthwise

3 T oyster sauce

3 T Thai fish sauce

6 T sugar

1 can tomato (8oz) sauce

1 T white pepper

Sprigs of cilantro

Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water until it is tender but firm, about 9-10 minutes. Drain well and toss with the chicken stock. Set aside.

Make a pesto from the serranos, garlic, basil, and Japanese chilies:

Mortar-and-pestle method: Stem the serranos. Put the serranos and garlic in the mortar and poind them just until they are crushed. Add the basil and Japanese chilies and pound all the ingredients to a mash. Set aside.

Processor method: Stem the serranos. Crush them and the garlic with the side of a chef's knife. Mince the Japanese chilies. Put all the pesto ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until moist and nearly minced. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and set aside.

Place all of the ingredients within easy reach of the cooking area. (this is important! I even measure them out and put them in order.)

Set a large wok over high heat. When it is quite hot, add the oil. Rotate the wok a bit so the oil coats the sides. When the oil is hot, take handfuls of the ground beef and work it through your fingers to break it up a little as you add it to the wok. Stir-fry the beef, pressing it down into the bottom of the wok. Turn the beef over, press it down into the wok again, and continue to stir-fry until the meat begins to brown, about 45 seconds.

Add the chili pesto and stir-fry for 45 seconds. Add the spaghetti-chicken stock mixture and stir-fry for 45 seconds. Add the tomatoes, red onion, and scallions and stir-fry 45 seconds. Add the oyster sauce and fish sauce and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, tomato sauce, and pepper and stir-fry until the sugar is dissolved and the ingredients are well blended, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large serving bowl, tear sprigs of cilantro over the spaghetti, and serve.

Cheers!

Sabrina