Street Food Sizzling Rad Na (Thai Rice Noodles With Gravy)

Fill a wok one-third full with vegetable oil and place over a high heat. Heat the oil to 165°C (330°F), or until a wooden spoon dipped into the oil forms lots of small bubbles. Carefully scatter the noodles into the hot oil to form a nest shape. Fry, moving occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the edges of the noodle nest are firm and crispy when you touch them with a spider strainer.

Carefully crack an egg into the middle of the noodle nest, then use a spatula to gently splash some of the hot oil over the top of the egg until the white is cooked. Once done, use two spatulas to carefully lift out the noodle and egg nest and transfer it to a plate or tray. Carefully transfer the oil to a heatproof container, leaving behind roughly 1 tablespoon in the wok.

With the wok still over a high heat, add the soy bean paste to the oil as well as all your protein ( the chicken and seafood). Give everything a stir to get all those flavours working, then add the chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Mix everything until the ingredients are well combined.

Add the carrot, baby corn and Chinese broccoli to the sauce. Stir-fry to combine, then cook for 2 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.

Drizzle in the potato starch slurry and cook, stirring constantly, for half a minute until the sauce has thickened and turned gorgeously glossy. Turn off the heat and keep warm while you prepare your hot plate.

Heat the sizzling plate over high heat until just smoking. Use tongs to carefully place it on its wooden rest. Then place the crispy noodle nest on top. Now carefully pour over the gravy and seafood mixture from your wok over the noodles – it will immediately start to sizzle and steam as it hits the hot plate. Sprinkle some white pepper on top, then serve.

• You can find fresh rice noodles at an Asian grocer in the fridge section. They are normally sold either in a block or as precut strips, but you’ll need to separate them first before you start cooking otherwise they’ll break into pieces. Place them on a microwave-safe plate and pop them in the microwave for 30–60 seconds or until they’re warm and you can separate the noodle strands easily. You may need to warm them up a couple of times. If you buy them in a block, cut them into 2cm (just under 1 inch) wide strips first, then carry on with the warming and separating process. 
• Yellow soy bean sauce is also known as Thai soybean paste or ต้าเจี้ยว. It’s made from fermented crushed soybeans, wheat and salt. You can find it an Asian grocery store or try searching for it online. If you can’t get hold of it for this recipe, add some extra soy sauce instead.
• Muek krob, which loosely translates from Thai as crispy squid, is easy to get hold of in Thailand and other southeast Asian countries. Feel free to leave it out though if you can’t source it where you live.
• If you can’t find potato starch, you could use tapioca starch or cornflour (cornstarch).
• I’ve used a hot plate to serve this dish on for more of an authentic street food vibe – you can usually find them at Asian grocery stores. However, feel free to skip this part if you’re not able to find one. You’ll miss out on some of the drama, but none of the deliciousness.