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© Copyright 1995-2023, Clay Irving <clay@panix.com>, Manhattan Beach, CA USA
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Recipe from: Jun
Servings: 4 to 6
Depending on your love of heat, these can be made with anything from bell to habanero peppers. This recipe, like all others, is a good starting point.
1 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro root, or the bottom 1 inch of cilantro stems
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
¼ pound lean ground pork
¼ pound ground raw shrimp
1 tablespoon nam pla
1½ tablespoon tapioca starch
½ pound (about 12) small yellow (Hungarian wax) chiles
2 eggs
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
vegetable oil for deep-frying
phrik manao
Pound the coriander root and garlic to a smooth paste or grind them in a blender with the fish sauce. Mix thoroughly with the pork, shrimp, fish sauce and tapioca starch. Set aside.
Remove and save thestems from the chiles and scoop out the seeds without breaking the chiles, or leave the stems in place and split the chiles along one side and remove the seeds. Discard the seeds (or mix them in with the cilantro root mixture. above). Stuff the chiles with the mixture. Secure the removed stems with a toothpick or press the sides back together. Place the chiles on a lightly oiled steaming rack and steam them for 15 or 20 minutes, until the pork mixture is done and the chiles are soft. Remove them from the steamer and let them cool to room temperature.
Beat the eggs lightly, while slowly adding the flour to them. Heat a wok and add about ½ cup of oil. Dip your fingers into the egg mixture and dribble just enough on the oil to form a single-layered network of egg strands. Cook the eggs until they just set. As soon as they're set, but before they dry out, put one stuffed chile in the center of the net and wrap the egg network around it, turning the chile as you do. Continue turning the chile and the wrapping until the egg is golden, but not crisp. Remove and repeat with the other chiles.
Note:
Increase the amount of flour to 1 tablespoon and dip the chiles in the egg batter, instead of wrapping them with egg nets, then deep-fry until crisp and golden-brown. Not as pretty, but a lot less work.
You can prepare them up to 4 hours before they're to be served, but do not refrigerate them after they've been fried!