Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Gather all ingredients together before commencing to cook.
  2. Cover tamarind pulp with 2/3 cup hot water, and crush and break up pulp with a fork.
  3. Let stand for 20 minutes, then pour mixture through a strainer and press to extract the liquid.
  4. Reserve 4 tablespoons of tamarind liquid for the sauce.
  5. Place rice vermicelli inside a large paper or plastic bag, and break into pieces.
  6. Heat peanut oil until very hot (between 375 deg F and 400 deg F).
  7. Fry noodles in small batches until they puff up and turn light to golden brown – each batch will only take a few seconds (allow oil to get hot again between batches).
  8. Remove at once with a slotted spoon, or wire strainer, and drain immediately on paper towels.
  9. Next, deep fry the diced tofu until golden brown, drain and keep warm in a low oven.
  10. Lastly, drizzle the egg into the oil in a circular fashion, and cook for around 30 seconds until golden brown and crisp on both sides.
  11. Remove egg from oil, break or slice into pieces, and keep warm in a low oven with the tofu.
  12. Combine the sauce ingredients, including the reserved tamarind liquid, in a saucepan, and bring to boil, stirring constantly.
  13. Allow to simmer a few minutes until the liquid reduces in volume by about one third and starts to turn syrupy, then remove from heat and set aside.
  14. Pour oil from wok, reserving one tablespoon, and stir-fry the garlic, green onion, and one of the chilies until they start to color, about one minute.
  15. Add the meat and/or shrimp and stir-fry until just cooked, about one minute.
  16. Add the prepared sauce to the wok and toss all ingredients together until steaming hot.
  17. Mound the crisp fried noodles on a serving platter and spoon the sauce over.
  18. Scatter with bean sprouts, cilantro, the remaining sliced chilli, the deep-fried tofu, and the chopped egg.
  19. Serve immediately, as the noodles will soften after about 10 minutes.