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1
Soak the rice noodles
15 Mins • Soaking
Warm water, about 60°C (140°F) — not boiling
Put the dried rice noodles in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Leave them for about 15 minutes, until they are pliable but still have a firm core. Drain and set aside — they will finish cooking in boiling water later.
Do not use boiling water for the soak or the noodles turn mushy before they reach the pot.
Done when: Noodles bend easily without snapping, but still feel firm in the middle.
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2
Fry the aromatics and brown the chicken
8 Mins • Frying
Medium-high heat; chicken cooked through to at least 74°C (165°F)
Heat the oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, shallots and ginger and fry for about 1 minute, until fragrant and just turning golden. Add the chicken pieces and cook, stirring, for 4–5 minutes, until no pink remains on the outside.
Keep the aromatics moving — garlic burns in seconds once it colours, and burnt garlic makes the whole sauce bitter.
Done when: Chicken opaque all over, no pink visible; garlic pale gold, not brown.
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3
Build the tomato sauce
12 Mins • Simmering
Medium heat, gentle simmer about 95°C (200°F); chicken kept at or above 74°C (165°F)
Stir in the fermented soybean paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, chilli powder and turmeric, then add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Pour in the chicken broth, stir well and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the tomatoes have broken down into a thick, spoonable sauce that coats the chicken.
If the sauce gets too thick, add broth a spoonful at a time — it should flow like a loose curry, not sit like a paste.
Done when: Tomatoes collapsed into the sauce; sauce thick enough to coat a spoon; chicken tender.
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4
Cook the noodles
4 Mins • Boiling
Rolling boil, 100°C (212°F)
While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the drained, soaked noodles and cook for 2–4 minutes, following the packet time, until just tender. Drain at once and rinse briefly under cold water so they stop cooking and do not stick together.
Taste a strand at 2 minutes — rice noodles go from chewy to soggy fast, and they keep softening in the hot sauce.
Done when: Noodles tender and chewy, not soft or mushy.
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5
Assemble the bowls
5 Mins • Serving
Serve hot; sauce kept above 74°C (165°F) until served
Divide the noodles between four bowls. Spoon the hot tomato chicken sauce generously over each portion, then top with pickled mustard greens, crushed peanuts, spring onions and coriander. Squeeze lime over each bowl and set soy sauce and chilli oil on the table so everyone seasons their own bowl.
Toss each bowl once or twice with chopsticks before eating — the sauce should coat every strand, not sit in a puddle at the bottom.
Done when: Noodles glossy with sauce, toppings bright and evenly scattered.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve at once, while the noodles are hot and the toppings are still crisp. A small bowl of light chicken broth on the side, as in Shan noodle shops, turns it into a full lunch.
Myanmar
1h 45m
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