Thai Crispy Noodles in Sweet & Sour Sauce Recipe (Mee Krob)

Mee Krob is a Thai noodle recipe made from golden crispy rice noodles topped with a sweet and sour sauce and combined with shrimp, scallions and fried tofu. The sauce is lightly salty with the addition of fish sauce and a touch sour with the addition of lime juice.

The appeal of Mee Krob is its blend of sweetness, sourness and saltiness all in one. Finely sliced kaffir lime peel can be added to Mee Krob. The peelings are fragrant and have a sour and bitter taste, which reduces the sweetness of the noodles. The dish is usually served with Chinese chives and fresh bean sprouts.

Ingredients

4 cups cooking oil (i.e. soybean, corn, safflower, or peanut oil)
5 oz (150 grams) fine rice noodle vermicelli
1 cake yellow (or white) hard/firm bean curd (tofu), cut into matchstick-size pieces
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 tbsp. chopped red shallot
1/4 cup (50 grams) finely chopped pork
1/4 cup (50 grams) finely chopped fresh shrimp
1 tbsp. fermented soybeans (yellow soybean sauce)
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp. Thai fish sauce
4 tbsp. palm sugar
1 tsp. ground dried Thai chillies
1 tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice
2 pickled garlic bulbs, thinly sliced
1 fresh red chilli, thinly sliced (for garnish)
1 tbsp. thinly sliced kaffir lime rind (fresh or dried)
3 Chinese chives (gao choy) or green scallion tops
2/3 cups (50 grams) fresh bean sprouts
Coriander leaves

Preparation

Heat oil in a deep wok over medium heat. When oil is hot, very quickly fry the noodles until crisp and golden, remove with mesh skimmer and drain. Deep-fry tofu until crispy an set aside.
Remove most of the oil in the wok, retaining approximately 1/4 cup. Heat and stir-fry the garlic and shallot until fragrant, then add the pork and shrimp, seasoning with fermented soybeans, vinegar, fish sauce, palm sugar and dried chillies, stirring to combine. When thick, add the lime juice. Mix and taste, adjusting to obtain a balane of sweet, sour, and salty flavors.
Reduce the heat, add the noodles and continue turning in the sauce until they stick together; then add the beancurd, mix, and spoon onto serving plate.
Top noodles with the pickled garlic, fresh chilli and thinly sliced kaffir lime rind. Garnish with bean sprouts, Chinese chives and coriander leaves.

You can find the ingredients in our Thai grocery and also see other authentic Thai recipes here.