Baked Glass Noodles
With prawns & black pepper
THAILAND
This is another of my favourite recipes using a claypot. It looks and tastes impressive, but really just involves assembly work. You line the bottom of the pot with thin slices of pork belly or bacon, followed by a layer of aromatics, glass noodles, fresh prawns, and finally a drizzle of sauces. As the pork belly cooks, its fat renders out and the aromatics fry in the fragrant lard. The prawns steam in the covered pot, absorbing the flavour from the aromatics; meanwhile, their sweet juices combine with the sauces and lard to flavour the noodles. Traditionally, the pot is set over a charcoal tao, so you get a heavenly whiff of smoke, black pepper and caramelized pork and seafood once the lid is lifted. I’ve adapted the recipe for the oven, using bacon but the flavours are no less delicious. If you don’t have a claypot, use a small cast-iron casserole dish.
- 100g dried glass noodles (otherwise known as cellophane noodles, or mung bean threads)
- 1 bunch of fresh coriander, with roots if possible
- a thumb-size piece of ginger
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 4 spring onions
- 4 slices of streaky bacon
- 200g (4–6) MSC raw king prawns
- 1 teaspoon groundnut oil
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons kecap manis (or, to substitute, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce and 1 teaspoon molasses)
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons chicken stock or water
- Soak the glass noodles in lukewarm water until they become pliable, about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.
- Meanwhile, separate the coriander leaves from the roots and stalks, setting the leaves aside for garnish later. If you can’t find coriander with its roots on, just use a bigger bunch. Finely chop the coriander stalks and roots, ginger and garlic. Combine these with the black pepper to create an aromatic paste. Slice the spring onions diagonally into large pieces.
- Cut the bacon into 3cm long pieces. Prepare the prawns by snipping off their feelers and cutting through the shell on their back to remove the vein.
- Lightly grease the inside of the claypot or casserole pot with the groundnut oil, including up the sides. Arrange a layer of bacon at the bottom of the pot, followed by the aromatic paste and the spring onions. Set this on the stove over a medium heat. Cook until the bacon fat starts to render out and the aromatics fry in this rendered fat until fragrant. Add the soaked glass noodles to the pot, and arrange the prawns on top. Stir together the sauces, sesame oil and stock or water, and pour this over evenly.
- Cover the pot and place in the oven. Bake for about 10–15 minutes, or until the prawns turn pink and the noodles are cooked. Don’t overcook this or you will get tough prawns and mushy noodles.
- Serve the dish straight from the pot, making sure you stir well to get to the caramelized bacon and flavourful aromatics at the bottom. Finish by tearing the coriander leaves over.
Note: Besides prawns, other sustainable options include crab, crayfish or even lobster if you’re feeling fancy. Make sure to get these fresh and live.