Ingredients Print

Check off ingredients as you go

Serves 4

• 320 g (11 oz) rice noodles (slightly wide ones)
• 2 shallots, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 8 scallions (spring onions), cut into short lengths
• 160 g (5.5 oz) fresh bean sprouts
• 80 g (3 oz) firm tofu, well drained and cut into cubes (or surimi or chicken)

For the sauce

• 4 Tbsp (60 ml) fish sauce (nuoc mam)
• 4 Tbsp soy sauce (or half vegetarian oyster sauce)
• 1 Tbsp lime juice (or rice vinegar)
• 6 Tbsp (70 g) light brown sugar

To serve

• 4 Tbsp unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 1 small bunch fresh cilantro (coriander), chopped
• A few drops of sesame oil
• Neutral oil (sunflower)

If you change the number of serving, consider adjusting cooking times!

Cooking the rice noodles

1. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions (barely a few minutes in hot water), rinse and drain them, then put them in a bowl with a little neutral oil (so they don’t stick together as they cool).

Making the sauce

2. In a bowl, mix the sugar with the fish sauce, soy sauce and lime juice.

The toppings

3. In a hot wok, sauté the shallots, garlic and tofu cubes in oil until golden, then set aside.
4. In the same pan, add the rice noodles, pour in the sauce and half a glass of water. Let it cook for a few moments so the noodles caramelize a little in the sauce and absorb it.
5. Push the noodles to one side of the pan to make room for the eggs. As soon as they start to set, scramble them gently, then bring the noodles back to the center and mix everything well. Turn off the heat, add a few drops of sesame oil, the tofu, bean sprouts, scallions and half the peanuts.
6. Serve with the remaining peanuts, a lime wedge and a few chili flakes (or sriracha sauce) for anyone who wants them.

Time-saving tip**

• There’s no salt in this recipe because the fish sauce and soy sauce are already salty.

• For this recipe, it’s best to choose firm tofu, otherwise it will crumble into everything. You can also leave out the tofu altogether; it will be very good too.

For this recipe I really recommend fresh bean sprouts and not the jarred kind, because the whole point of this ingredient is to add crunch, which you won’t get at all if the bean sprouts have been sitting in brine.

If you’d like a non-vegetarian version or you’re not a fan of tofu, you can replace it with diced chicken breast or shrimp substitutes, marinated briefly in the sauce and then sautéed along with the scallions, just before adding the noodles. Otherwise, try my Asian sesame chicken, it’s always a big hit.