Sweet and Sour Noodles Recipe

The Vietnamese have put their own particularly delicious stamp on Singapore noodles, which are popular throughout South East Asia. In Saigon, the noodles are standard street and cafe food, an ideal meal for anyone feeling a little peckish. At the Singapore noodle stalls, batches of cold, cooked noodles are kept ready to add to the delicious concoction cooking in the wok. At home, you can make this dish with any kind of noodles - egg or rice, fresh or dried.

Ingredients : Serves 4

30 ml

3 cloves

3-4

4 cm

90 g

30 ml

15 ml

10 ml

150 ml

225 g

1/2 teaspoon

1 bunch each

Sesame oil

Onion, finely chopped

Garlic, finely chopped

Green or red Thai chilies, seeded and finely chopped

Fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped

Spring onions (scallions), finely chopped

Skinless chicken breast fillet, cut into bite-size strips

Pork, cut into bite-size strips

Shrimp, shelled

Tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped

Tamarind paste

Nuoc mam

Lime, juiced

Sugar

Water or fish stock

Fresh rice sticks (vermicelli)

Salt

Ground black pepper

Fresh basil and mint, stalks removed, leaves shredded

Nuoc cham, to serve

Method :

Heat a wok or heavy pan and add the oil.
Stir in the onion, garlic, chilies and ginger, and cook until they begin to color. Add the spring onions and cook for 1 minute, add the chicken and pork, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then stir in the shrimps.
Add the tomatoes, followed by the tamarind paste, nuoc mam, lime juice and rind, and sugar.
Pour in the water or fish stock, and cook gently for 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss the noodles in a pan of boiling water and cook for a few minutes until tender. Drain them and add the chicken and shrimp mixture.
Season with salt and ground black pepper and serve immediately, with plenty of basil and mint scattered over the top, and drizzled with spoonfuls of nuoc cham.

Different flavors

There are endless variations of this classic dish - the only key is to keep the sauce dry, cut the meat and fish into small pieces and, most importantly, toss in the noodles at the last minute. The addition of fresh basil and nuoc cham lends a distinct Vietnamese flavor but you may also add strips of squid or slices of Chinese sausage to the mixture in the wok.