Khao Poon

One of my favorite dishes growing up is called Khao Poun. I'm not sure if I spelled that correctly. Basically it's a coconut milk and curry soup served over rice vermicelli. There are different variations to this dish. I don't have problems with eating pork so I used ground pork in my version. My father loved the ground pork with added pork skin. My mom loves using flaked fish for the protien. My sister-in-law and brother prefer using shredded chicken breast. Ground chicken or ground turkey works well too. Like many of the recipes my mom has passed down to me, there aren't exact measurements. She cooks by sight and by taste. I do the same except when it comes to baking.


Ingredients
1/3 can of red curry paste (or desired heat)
1 can of coconut milk
1 can of low sodium chicken broth
Ground Pork (about 1 lb.)
Kaffir Lime leaves
Galangal
Lemon Grass
Shallets
Garlic
a pinch of sugar
fish sauce or salt
1 package of thin rice vermicelli
Optional Garnishes
Shredded cabbage or lettuce
Shredded carrots
Shredded banana blossom
Bean sprouts
Cilantro
Mint
Vietnamese corriander



In a large pot add a tablespoon of oil, 1/3 of the curry paste. Then add 1/2 can of coconut milk.

Add the ground pork, chopped lemon grass, minced shallot and garlic to the curry mixture.

Let the pork simmer and fully cook.

Add the remaining coconut milk and one can of low sodium chicken broth and the Kaffir Lime leaves, lemon grass and galangal. Let it simmer. At this time boil the rice vermicelli according to the package instructions. After the noodles cook, I take them and rinse witch cold water and form little bundles of noodles just to make it easier for serving.


To serve the dish, place 2 or 3 'bundles' of the noodles in a bowl. Add the spicy soup and garnish with the herbs, bean sprouts, long green bean, shredded vegetables (lettuce/cabbage, carrots and banana blossom)and lime slices.