MEE KROB (THAI FRIED NOODLES IN SWEET-SOUR SAUCE)

Thai for "fried noodles," mee krob is a popular dish in Thailand that takes crispy fried rice noodles and tosses them with a tasty sweet-sour sauce. Most of this dish's components can be prepared ahead and the noodles tossed with the sauce at the last minute. The noodles will get soggy if you stir them into the sauce too soon before they are served. Rice vermicelli is also known as sen mee, rice stick noodles, mai fun or pancit bihon.

INGREDIENTS Oil -- for deep frying Rice vermicelli noodles (see notes), broken into pieces -- 1/2 pound Eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon water -- 2 Firm tofu, thinly sliced -- 1/4 pound Oil -- 2 tablespoons Ground pork, ground -- 1/4 pound Shrimp, peeled and deveined -- 1/4 pound Garlic or garlic pickle, minced -- 1 tablespoon Scallions or shallots, minced -- 2 tablespoons Lime juice -- 3 tablespoons Fish sauce -- 2 tablespoons Brown or palm sugar -- 2 tablespoons Tomato paste -- 1 tablespoon Red pepper flakes -- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Scallions, chopped -- 2 Cilantro -- 1/2 bunch Mung bean sprouts -- 1 cup Thai or serrano chile pepper, sliced into thin rounds -- 3

METHOD Heat the oil for deep frying oil in a wok, deep pot or deep fryer to 370°F. Add the rice noodles and fry, flipping them over, until they puff up. This should take just a few seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside to drain on paper towels. Dip clean fingers into the beaten egg and then let the egg drip into the hot oil to make lacey strings. Remove the egg immediately with a slotted spoon to paper towels. Repeat until all egg is used up. Chop into small pieces, and set aside. Deep fry the sliced tofu until it browns. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and set aside. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of the oil out of the wok or deep pot. Add the pork and stir fry it, breaking it up, until it is cooked through, then remove to a plate. Add a little more oil if needed and stir fry the shrimp until it is just cooked through. Remove to the plate with the pork. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the garlic and minced scallions or shallots. Stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes, then stir in the lime juice, fish sauce, brown or palm sugar, tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Simmer over low heat until it is reduced to a syrupy consistency, 3 or 4 minutes. Stir half of the fried rice noodles into the sauce to coat. Then stir in the pork, shrimp and the remaining of the noodles. Mound noodles on a large serving platter. Top the noodles with a garnish of egg strips, tofu, chopped scallions, cilantro, sprouts and chiles. Serve immediately.

MEE KROB VARIATIONS For vegetarian mee krob, substitute soy sauce for the fish sauce, and eliminate the pork and shrimp. Eliminate some of the garnishes if you like. It's not necessary to have all of them.