Rad Na Moo: Thai Noodles in Gravy

This week I made a Thai dish that I really like but had never prepared myself before. I’m talking about Rad Na ( ราดหน้า ), which is sometimes offered in Thai restaurants as “noodles in thick gravy.” That describes it quite well, as fried rice noodles are either drowned in or, if preferred, just drizzled with a heavily thickened, very aromatic sauce.

Like many Thai dishes beyond coconut milk curries, Rad Na also has Chinese origins. We made Rad Na Moo, meaning with pork, but other types of meat are also possible. It’s important that the meat is marinated for a longer time so it becomes nice and tender. I gave it a full 24 hours.

Preparation

The meat should be marinated for at least one hour, but the longer the better. To do this, first cut the meat into small, bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl. Then dissolve the cornstarch in a little water and pour over the meat. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil.

Then crush the white peppercorns in a mortar to a coarse powder and also add to the meat. Finally, crack two eggs and add the egg white to the bowl. Mix everything well so the meat is evenly coated. Then place the marinated meat covered in the refrigerator.

The rice noodles also need some lead time, as they should be soaked in lukewarm water for about three-quarters to an hour. This should be planned accordingly or, if the meat is only marinated briefly, done simultaneously with the meat.

You’ll also need pork broth. If you find ready-made pork stock, you can use that. If not, you can help yourself with pork powder or, of course, boil pork meat and bones into a broth yourself. Either way, we assume in the following that about one liter of pork broth is available.

Once the meat has marinated long enough, the Rad Na sauce can be prepared. To do this, peel and finely chop the garlic. Then heat some vegetable oil in a pan or wok and fry the soy bean paste and garlic in it. When the garlic changes color and the paste starts to bubble, deglaze both with the pork broth. Then add the soy sauce, Golden Mountain Sauce, and sugar, stir well, and bring to a boil.

In the meantime, pulverize the white pepper in a mortar and dissolve the cornstarch in a little water. As soon as the sauce boils, add the meat and pepper to the sauce and let it simmer. Now cut the Chinese broccoli including the stem into small pieces and also add to the sauce. Finally, stir in the cornstarch until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently.

The noodles are still missing - first let them drain well. Then heat a second wok very strongly and add the oil and noodles. Fry the noodles while stirring constantly, and after about a minute add the oyster sauce and mix evenly. Continue frying the noodles with the sauce until they become slightly brown and stick together.

Then distribute the finished noodles on deep plates or small bowls and pour generous amounts of thick sauce over them. Serve the Rad Na immediately steaming hot.