Noodle salad (khauk swe thoke)

This is a hearty salad full of refreshing flavours and textures, and a favourite dish in Burmese cuisine.

• serves

  6

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 Asian red eschalots (see Note), thinly sliced, soaked in water for 10 minutes
• 500 g flat thin egg noodles, blanched, refreshed
• 2 tbsp dried shrimp floss*
• 1 tbsp chickpea (besan) flour*
• 2 tbsp finely crushed roasted peanuts
• 2 cups cabbage, thinly shredded
• fish sauce, to taste
• chopped roasted peanuts, chilli oil and lime rounds, to serve

Garlic oil

• 250 ml (1 cup) peanut oil
• pinch of ground turmeric
• 10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Tamarind sauce

• 2 tbsp chilli sauce
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 100 g (⅓ cup) tamarind pulp concentrate 

Cooling time 30 minutes

Instructions

To make garlic oil, heat oil over medium heat until hot and stir in turmeric. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until golden. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon and reserve. Remove oil from heat and set aside to cool. Place garlic in a sterilised jar (see Cooking Notes) and pour over oil. Leftover oil will keep for 1 month.

To make tamarind sauce, stir all ingredients in a small jug with 80 ml warm water to form a runny sauce. Set aside.

Drain eschalots and place in a large bowl with noodles, dried shrimp floss, chickpea flour, crushed peanuts, 80 ml garlic oil, tamarind sauce and cabbage. Using hands, mix to combine. Season with fish sauce, to taste. Scatter with peanuts and drizzle with chilli oil. Serve with lime.

Note

• To make dried shrimp floss, cover 120 g dried shrimp in a bowl with 250 ml boiling water. Stand for 30 minutes, then drain. Place in a frying pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, for 8 minutes or until dry. Cool completely, then grind to a floss in a spice grinder or small food processor. Extra floss will keep in an airtight container for 3 months. Makes 1 cup.

• Chickpea (besan) flour is from health food shops, Asian food shops and select supermarkets.

Photography Alan Benson

As seen in Feast magazine, February 2014, Issue 28.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.