Rad Na Recipe

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Rad Na is a popular Thai lunch and is also a comfort food for me. I guess it is the warm gravy and the soft noodles.

There are several versions of Rad Na. Your choice of noodles ranges from thick flat rice noodles to thing vermicelli to fried egg noodles. The meat can be pork, chicken or seafood. The most common Rad Na is Rad Na Moo or Pork Rad Na. A good Pork Rad Na has tender pork with soft chewy noodles and plenty of gravy. Another version that I also enjoy is with the baby Chinese broccoli, which gives the milder and more tender taste.

4 Servings, Prep Time: 25 Minutes, Total Time: 25 Minutes

3/4 lb Chinese broccoli
3-4 dark soy sauce
1 lb Fresh Flat Rice Noodles
1/2 lb thinly sliced pork
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons tapioca flour
2-3 tablespoons cooking oil
3 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons Yellow Bean Sauce

Tips and Techniques

Chinese broccoli substitutions: try collard greens, broccoli, or kohl rabi.
Good Rad Nah has really tender pork and part of the trick for the tenderest pork is coating it in tapioca flour before cooking it.
If you have a non-stick pan, use it. The noodles won't stick to the pan.
You can adjust the amount of pork and Chinese broccoli. Add more Chinese broccoli if you love the greens.

Method

Prepping

Mix/massage the pork with 1 tablespoon of tapioca flour. In another bowl, add water to the rest of flour; this mixture is the base for sauce. Mince the garlic. Cut up the Chinese broccoli into 2-inch pieces. Slice the noodles into 1/2 to 1 inch wide strips if you have the sheet type as opposed to the sliced noodles.

If your noodles have been in the refrigerator, heat them up in the microwave for 4-5 minutes to warm up and loosen the strands. This will save your time cooking noodles in the pan. Break the clumped noodles into strands.

Cooking Noodles

Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil in wok/pan. A non-stick pan will help keep the noodles from sticking to the pan because they can get really messy. I use my stainless steel wok that nothing sticks to it any more. When the oil is ready, put in the noodles and stir. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce on the noodles. The purpose here is to heat up the noodles and add some color and flavor. Stir again until all the noodles are broken into pieces. Don't worry if they are cut into small pieces. When all the strands are heated and separated, the noodles are ready. It should not take more than 5 minutes. When I heat up the noodles in microwave and my pan is hot and ready, it takes me just a minute to stir the soy sauce into the noodles. Remove from heat and set the noodles aside.

Cooking Sauce

In a pot or pan that is big enough to hold all the ingredients, heat up 2 tablespoons of oil. Add minced garlic and pork. Stir for a minute or so until the pork is almost cooked, add the flour water mixture. Stir the flour water mixture and mix well prior to adding to the pan.

Pour the water flour mixture into the pan. Stir quickly to keep it from forming chunks. Let the sauce come to a boil. The sauce will turn from milky white to translucent.

Add soy sauce, yellow bean sauce and sugar. Stir to mix. When the sauce is bubbling, it should have a consistency of thick gravy. If the sauce is not thick enough, add more flour water. If you like thin sauce, add more water. When you add water, adjust the sugar, soy sauce. Remember, Thai food is cooking with your tongue, so it is time to taste. Add more soy sauce and/or sugar as needed.

When you are done with tasting and adjusting, add the Chinese broccoli stems. Stir to cook the stems for a minute. Then add the leaves. Stir quickly and turn the heat off. Sprinkle ground white pepper on the sauce. Don't cook the greens too long, or they will turn brown and won't be crunchy.

Plating

Put noodles on plates and top with the sauce. Sprinkle some ground white or black pepper. Serve hot.

In Thailand, Rad Nah is served with common condiments: sugar, fish sauce, pickled peppers and ground chili pepper for your personal taste. The addition of pickled peppers adds a lot of dynamics to the final flavor.

Recipes for homemade pickled peppers and ground chili pepper.