Thai for Friday

Nutrition buffs tell us we should eat fatty fish at least twice a week for the Omega 3 fats. You get them in salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna and walnuts. We used to be told to eat fish on Fridays. But why wait? It’s good any day. This quick easy dish is similar to the Pad Thai you know and love, but juicy with coconut milk and whipped together with albacore tuna. It’s pretty enough to serve to company, and delicious.

THAI FISH & NOODLES
4 servings

1 jalapeno or other small green or red hot pepper
3 Tablespoons light olive or peanut oil
2 eggs, beaten
½ package Thai thin rice noodles
1 cup coconut milk
2 cloves garlic, slivered
2 Tablespoons ketchup, optional
½ cup sliced green onions
½ cup chopped cilantro, divided
2 (5-ounce) cans albacore tuna packed in water
1 lime cut in wedges
1 Tablespoon nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
Cayenne to taste

Slice the hot pepper lengthwise from tip almost to butt end. Do not cut all the way. Place in ice water and see it turn into a flower. Reserve for garnish.

Put the noodles to soak in warm water until they’ve softened, about 15 minutes.

Make eggs into a very thin omelet. Cut in ¼-inch wide strips. Reserve.

In a deep heavy skillet, bring the coconut milk to a boil. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the tuna, the noodles, bean sprouts. Bring the contents back to the boil.

Drain noodles. Add to the skillet. Cook 5 minutes, until noodles are done. Add bean sprouts and tuna. Sprinkle with fish sauce and cayenne. Toss. Turn out onto a platter. Garnish with the remaining cilantro. Arrange the omelet shreds in a row down the center. Arrange lime wedges around the edge of the noodles. Each diner squeezes a slice over his or her serving. Decorate the platter with the pepper "flower."

Anyong kyeseio!

I’m not sure whether that means "Bon appetite" or "Good-night." It’s what the bean jam-stuffed bun sellers always said to us when we bought the buns in the evening. Son Steve and I enjoyed them with Korean pears and roasted oat grain tea for our breakfast at the yoguan (mat house) where we stayed in Kyongjiu in October,1980. He was a student at Vashon High then. Now he’s a teacher, honored this year as the best teacher at the Science and Technology University in Zhenzhou, Henan Province, China