I used to eat Rad Na once a week in Thailand. There is one place in Saladang, close to my previous job, that had awesome Rad Na. Even though I don’t know their secret, this is exactly how it looks. This is basically my family version. I start by marinating sliced pork with minced garlic, soy bean paste, mushroom soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, tapioca flour and water. Tapioca flour and water will soften the meat (this is a secret from Papa Kitcharoentham). Marinate pork for at least 4-6 hours in the fridge (it could also be as long as a day). The rest of the process starts 20-30 mins before serving. Angel Hair noodle needs to be soaked (in room temperature water or cold) for 20 minutes before use. I begin by stir frying the noodles in hot oil with sweet soy sauce and put it aside. In the same pan, make simple fluffy scrambled eggs for Rad Na’s accessory and set it aside. In a hot wok, stir fry marinated pork with oil (I prefer olive oil or canola oil) and Chinese broccoli until the vegetables are cooked.  Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and a little bit of sugar mixed together. Add chicken broth (roughly 2- 2 1/2 cups) and wait for it to boil. Dissolve tapioca flour with water and add when the sauce boils, stir it quickly to prevent lumpiness of the sauce. Then it’s time to assemble it all: put noodles in a bowl and pour the sauce on top. Don’t forget to add the scrambled eggs on top. I like to add chilli flakes and lime juice (optional) before eating. In Thailand, you would be offered condiments (chilli flakes, sugar, fish sauce and vinegar), so you can create your own taste for the dish.

Another Thai food craving of mine! This chicken gravy will taste really (really!) good when it is marinated at least six hours to one day in advance. First, I start from adding sliced jalapenos into white vinegar and letting it sit in the fridge until serving time. Then, I slice chicken breast and begin marination. Add soy bean paste, soy sauce, a pinch of sugar, pepper, one teaspoon of tapioca flour and water to chicken and mix together. Let it marinate in the fridge for at least six hours. While the chicken starts to cook, I add oyster sauce, soy sauce and chicken stock to intensify the flavour. So, it will balance out after I add tapioca flour that is well mixed with water. Tapioca water creates the sticky and gravy-like texture for this dish. The recipe of this dish is very similar to Rad Na (Thai gravy noodle); however, this chicken gravy is served with rice and jalapeno vinegar.