Ingredients
Lime-Tamarind Sauce:
1/2 C. palm sugar, or 1/2 C. plus 2 Tbs. light brown sugar
3 Tbs. lime juice
3 Tbs. tamarind paste
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
Garlic-Chili Sauce:
3 Tbs. Asian fish sauce
1 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. minced cilantro leaves
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. minced Thai green chilies or small fresh green Mexican chilies
Noodles:
4 oz. dried rice noodles, linguine-sized
1 quart cold water
Vegetable oil or peanut oil for deep-frying
2 oz. firm tofu, well drained, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp. milk
2 Tbs. peanut oil
1 tsp. minced green chilies
1 tsp. chopped shallots
1 tsp. minced ginger
1/2 tsp. minced lemongrass
1 kaffir lime leaf, or 2-by-1/2-inch strip lime zest
1 Tbs. chopped cilantro leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
1/2 C. bean sprouts
1/4 C. thinly sliced green onion, for garnish
2 Tbs. chopped dry-roasted peanuts
2 lime wedges, for garnish
Directions
Make the Lime-Tamarind Sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, lime juice, tamarind paste, salt and paprika. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Continue boiling and stirring just until the sauce reduces slightly. Set aside to cool. Reserve.
Make the Garlic-Chili Sauce: In a small nonreactive bowl, stir together the fish sauce, rice vinegar, water, sugar, cilantro, garlic and chilies. Reserve.
For the Noodles, put the rice noodles in a bowl filled with the cold water and leave them just until softened, no more than a few minutes. Drain and reserve. (This can be done several hours ahead.) About 30 minutes before serving, heat about 1 inch of the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the tofu cubes and deep-fry until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or wire skimmer, drain on paper towels, and set aside to cool. Reserve.
In a small skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Cook the scrambled egg until it forms soft, moist curds. Transfer to a plate and set aside to cool. Chop coarsely and reserve.
Heat a wok over high heat. Add the 2 Tbs. peanut oil. When it’s almost smoking-hot, add the chilies, shallots, ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime, chopped cilantro and chicken; stir-fry until the chicken loses its pink color, about 2 minutes. Add the noodles, half of the bean sprouts, the fried tofu, the scrambled egg, and both sauces. Continue stir-frying until the noodles have separated, heated through, and are glazed with the sauce and mixed with the other ingredients, 1 to 2 minutes more.
Transfer the noodles to a serving plate. Top with the remaining bean sprouts, cilantro sprigs, green onions and peanuts. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over the noodles.
Yield: 2 servings
(Chef Wolfgang Puck’s TV series, “Wolfgang Puck’s Cooking Class,” airs Sundays on the Food Network. Also, his latest cookbook, “Wolfgang Puck Makes It Easy,” is now available in bookstores. Write Wolfgang Puck in care of Tribune Media Services Inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, N.Y. 14207.)
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