There are various stories about the origin for the name of this popular Thai noodle dish. The ones that seem most plausible to me are that eating these noodles can help ameliorate a hangover after too many drinks, or that the spiciness of the noodles causes one to drink a little too much. Either way, with or without alcohol, this noodle dish is delicious. I added water chestnuts to the recipe for a nice crunchy texture, but many different vegetables, such as bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, baby corn, mushrooms, etc., may be substituted. Adjust the spiciness by simply reducing or increasing the amount of chili-garlic sauce. If you like a very mild amount of heat, like I do, use one teaspoon chili-garlic sauce.
Recipe courtesy of Easy Asian Noodles by Helen Chen; Copyright Wiley, 2010
| 12 pound Chinese wheat or egg noodles | 8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced (about 1 cup) | |
| 4 tablespoons fish sauce | 3 tablespoons canola oil | |
| 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice | 2 tablespoons finely minced garlic | |
| 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce, to taste | 1 small onion, cut into 12-inch chunks | |
| 3 tablespoons light brown sugar | 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced on the diagonal | |
| 2 teaspoons cornstarch | 3 ounces snow peas, ends snapped, strung, and large ones cut in half on the diagonal | |
| 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry | 1 cup Thai basil or sweet basil whole leaves, packed |
In a large pot of boiling water, cook the noodles for about 2 minutes or until al dente. Don’t overcook because the noodles will have to be cooked again. Stir occasionally for even cooking. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside to drain again.
In a small bowl, mix together the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic chili sauce, and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
In another mixing bowl whisk the cornstarch and wine together. Add the chicken and mix well.
Pour the oil into a wok or stir-fry pan and place over medium high heat. Add the garlic and stir until the oil is hot and the garlic sizzles. Add the onion and the well-stirred chicken mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the chicken is partially cooked and the onion turns translucent, about 2 minutes. Toss in the carrot and stir another minute. Add the snow peas and basil and stir again until the basil leaves wilt, about 30 seconds.
Sprinkle the noodles with a little tap water to loosen them, drain, then add to the pan pouring the fish sauce mixture over them. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes or until all the ingredients are well blended and the noodles are heated through. Transfer to a large serving platter and serve immediately.