Carrot and rice noodle Tom Yum

Since I've started eating, (nay - worshipping), carbs again, I've rediscovered how much I adore noodles. There's something so satisfyingly meaty about them, a mouth feel that you also get with pasta. I think I could happily eat a plate of noodles simply fried unadorned with only some sesame oil and hot sauce drizzled over. If they are those fresh Chinese type you find in the refrigerated section next to the veg, maybe even completely naked would be fine. Soups that I prepare regularly from Thai or Japanese sachets, such as Tom Yum, Tom Ka or an assortment of the different misos are delicious and healthy enough for lunch with a few slivers of onion or celery and maybe some greens, but add a handful of noodles and you have a feast. 

For this I used rice noodles, often used in Thai cooking. They are stiff and almost transparent when you buy them and require soaking in hot water to soften. I find that they are never quite soft enough with water that is only hot, so I recommend pouring boiling water over them or even simmering in a pan of boiling water over medium heat until soft. Drain and then use as required.

 

I keep promising myself that one day I will devote a post entirely to recreating the famous noodle dishes of Asia: Chinese chow mein, Thai pad Thai, Japanese yaki soba, Korean jap chae and Malaysian / Indonesian mee goreng. One day...

Before we adjourn to the kitchen, let me show you some images of the strange fog that seemed to settle over Vancouver a few days ago. Like a scene from a John Carpenter movie, it drifted in from the ocean in large waves, completely self contained in a rectangular shaped cloud. It still lingered around at night, creating a foggy haze which brightened any lights into an eerie illumination show. (Picture at bottom of post).

Recipe : Tom Yum with carrots and rice noodles

The thinly sliced carrots add an element of sweetness to this soup which works well with the sour, spicy and salty base.

1 sachet of Thai Tom Yum soup base (If you want to make this from scratch, see here)

1 cup of water

2 small bell peppers or half a medium size, seeded and sliced finely

1 large carrot, peeled or scrubbed and thinly sliced

1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced

a handful of greens such as cabbage, spinach or kale, very finely shredded

1 - 2 tbsp fish sauce

juice of half a lime

1 tsp raw cane sugar

1 bundle of rice noodles

a few prawn crackers or Thai fried pork rinds

Place the first 6 ingredients into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring slowly to the boil, reduce heat and simmer until the carrots are soft and the greens wilted. 

Taste the soup and start adding the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice until you have a nicely balanced combination of tastes, (this depends on your own personal preference). 

Add the noodles and let the soup gently simmer over medium heat until the noodles are soft. Serve with the crackers or pork rinds and maybe a few dashes of hot sauce if you're feeling spicy, it's Valentine's day after all.....