Wide Rice Noodles Smothered in Rich Gravy (Rad Na)
Wide rice noodles in a rich Thai gravy with beef and Chinese broccoli, served with pickled chilies.
Ingredients
flank steak or sirloin (or any meat of your choice)
8 ounces
tapioca starch (divided, plus more as needed)
2 tablespoons
Chinese broccoli
1 pound
vegetable oil (divided)
3 tablespoons
fresh wide rice noodles (rinsed and separated into individual strands)
2 pounds
dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon
broad bean sauce
2 tablespoons
garlic (minced)
2 cloves
water
2 cups
oyster sauce
2 tablespoons
soy sauce
1 tablespoon
sugar
2 teaspoons
Ground white or black pepper
Pickled Green Chilies (recipe follows)
Instructions
1
Slice the beef
Prepare semi-frozen beef for slicing (if fresh, place in the freezer for about 30 minutes). Cut along the grain into 1.5-inch thick strips. Then hold the knife almost parallel to the cutting surface and slice the meat thinly against the grain.
2
Prepare the beef and starch slurry
Coat the beef with 1 tablespoon of tapioca starch and set aside. In a small bowl, mix the remaining tapioca starch with 2 tablespoons of water to make a starch slurry.
3
Prep the Chinese broccoli
Separate the Chinese broccoli into leaves and stems. Cut the stems into 2-inch long pieces, halving any thicker ones lengthwise, as they take longer to cook.
4
Stir-fry the noodles
Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat for about 1 minute. Pour in 2 tablespoons of oil and heat until smoking. Add the rice noodles and stir-fry until golden, 2-3 minutes. Drizzle the dark soy sauce over the noodles, slide a spatula to the bottom of the pan, and toss so the noodles are evenly coated with the sauce. The goal is to color them evenly, but don't worry if there are a few white spots. Transfer the noodles to a plate with a rim.
5
Stir-fry the meat and vegetables
In the same wok, pour in the remaining oil and heat over high heat until the surface shimmers. Add the broad bean sauce and minced garlic, then add the beef. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the Chinese broccoli and stir-fry until the beef changes color and the broccoli turns bright green and is just tender, about 2 minutes.
6
Thicken the sauce
Add 2 cups of water. Stir in the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar, and mix well. Bring to a boil. Quickly stir the starch slurry and pour it into the pan while stirring constantly. Let the sauce bubble and cook until thickened like a beef gravy, about 2 minutes. If the sauce isn't thick enough, add more starch slurry. If you prefer it thinner, add water and adjust the seasoning. Remove from heat. Pour the sauce over the noodles and sprinkle with pepper. Serve immediately with the pickled chilies.
