Spicy Glass Noodles with Crispy Pork

This is a quick, healthy meal I found on thekitchn.com. The Thai name of the recipe is  "Yum Woon Sen". While their recipe called for this as a side dish, I have beefed up the ingredient list to make it an entree for four adults.

This dish has all of the great tastes of Thai cuisine. The dressing is the epitome of Thai simplicity: lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, Sriracha sauce and sugar. The glass noodles, also known as cellophane noodles, bean threads or saifun, are incredibly soft and chewy...a terrific contrast to the crispness of the pork and vegetables.

This dish can be served warm or chilled. If you prefer the latter, refrigerate everything for 15 minutes before adding the dressing...which makes it a perfect meal for a hot summer night!


INGREDIENTS

For the Dressing
4 tablespoons lime juice
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons fish sauce (Red Boat recommended)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Sriracha Sauce (or more to taste)

For the Main Dish
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
One, 6-ounce package glass noodles (saifun)
1 bunch scallions, sliced into thin rounds
1 bunch roughly chopped cilantro
1 bunch torn mint leaves (no stems)
1 jalapeño, halved, seeded and then finely minced
4 tablespoons chopped peanuts


DIRECTIONS

1. Make the dressing: Combine lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Whisk until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
2. Heat a large pot of water. When water boils, remove pot from heat and drop glass noodles into water. Let noodles sit in the hot water for 15 minutes, then drain and put noodles in a medium bowl. Add a little bit of dressing to noodles to keep them from sticking.
3. Add canola oil to a large skillet. Add the pork and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to break the pork into tiny crumbles. Cook pork for another 3-5 minutes, until the pork turns deeply golden brown and crispy. Drain pork and put pork in a new large bowl.
4. To the pork bowl, add the scallions, cilantro, mint and jalapeño. Add 3/4 of the dressing and toss.
5. Divide the glass noodles between 4 serving bowls. Divide the pork/vegetable mixture between the 4 bowls, placing it on top of the noodles. Top each dish with 1 tablespoon of the peanuts and a little extra dressing and serve.

Wine pairing: New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc