Dry Banh Pho with Watercress
These are very hot little firecrackers from the orient. They can be used to add spice to almost any oriental dish. They dry very easily and can be stored and used this way for a long time.
Ingredients:
1 cup chicken stock
sambal olek, to your taste
barbecue pork, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced and fried until golden brow
fish sauce, sesame oil and soy sauce
3 Thai chile peppers, sliced diagonally and soaked in soy and fish sauce
1/4 cup fried fish cake, thinly sliced
1/4 cup diced tofu
5 fish balls, cut into half
some fried shallot, for garnish
watercress, a handful
2 scallions, finely sliced
Banh pho noodles 1 handful each for a bowl
Instructions:
Heat the stock. Also in a separate pan, heat about 5 cups of water to blanch fish cakes and fish balls and also the noodles.
Combine 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil and chiles, and set aside.
Bring chicken broth to a boil. In two bowls , add some sambal olek, about 1 Tbsp soy sauce mixture and brown garlic.
Blanch noodles in boiling water for 15 seconds. Drain, and distribute into the two soup bowls. Top noodles with sliced barbecue pork, blanched fish cakes, fish balls and tofu. Ladle about 1/2 cup broth into each bowl.
Sprinkle with scallions, some of the watercress and fried onion and serve immediately. Serve chili-soy sauce separately in a small bowl.
From acooksmemoir.blogspot.com