''Rat na'' (, , ; literally: 'topping'), also written ''rad na'', is a Thai-Chinese noodle dish. The name of the dish is pronounced in Thai colloquial speech. It is made with stir-fried wide rice noodles, a meat such as

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

, or

seafood Seafood is any form of Marine life, sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including Fish as food, fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of Mollusca, molluscs (e.g., bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters, and mussel ...

tofu or bean curd is a food prepared by Coagulation (milk), coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness: ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', and ''extra (or super) firm''. It originated in Chin ...

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

, and '' gai lan'' (; ). The dish is then covered in a sauce made with fermented soy beans and thickened with

tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the tubers of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North Region, Brazil, North and Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast regions of Brazil, but which has ...

starch or

cornstarch Cornflour, cornstarch, maize starch, or corn starch (American English) is the starch derived from corn (maize) grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the kernel. Corn starch is a common food ingredient, often used to thicken s ...

. It is seasoned with dark soy sauce,

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, L ...

, and ground white pepper. In Thailand, people often sprinkle some sugar, fish sauce, sliced chilies preserved in vinegar (with some of the vinegar), and/or toasted, ground dried red chilies on the dish. There are variants, including using rice vermicelli instead of the wide noodles, and using deep-fried thin egg noodles (''mi krop''), with the sauce poured on to soften them. In areas where ''gai lan'' can not be easily obtained, broccoli or broccolini can be used as a substitute.

History

''Rat na'' was originally cooked in China, prepared only in high-end restaurants where it became very successful.

Teochew people The Teochew (), Teo-Swa, or Chaoshanese are an ethnic group historically native to the Chaoshan region in south China who speak the Teochew language. Today, most ethnic Teochew people live throughout Chaoshan and Hong Kong, and also outside ...

(Chinese people native to the Chaoshan region) began cooking and selling it to working-class people and its popularity spread to Thailand. Originally, ''rat na'' in Thailand was made with a little extra sauce and covered with a banana leaf. Diners themselves cut the fat noodles, which were large and circular, as they ate. The notable ''rat na'' (including '' Pad See Ew'') areas in Bangkok such as Tanao road in Phra Nakhon near

Giant Swing The Giant Swing, also known as Sao Chingcha, (, ', ) is a 21 feet (21.15 meter) tall swing-shaped religious structure and a prominent landmark in Sao Chingcha Subdistrict of Phra Nakhon District in Bangkok in Thailand. Located in front of ...

and Bangkok City Hall, Wang Burapha near Thieves' Market and Saphan Lek,

Sam Yan Sam Yan (, ) is the name of an intersection and its nearby neighbourhood in Bangkok, Thailand. It connects Rama IV Road with Phaya Thai and Si Phraya roads, and is located within Pathum Wan District, next to its border with Bang Rak. The neighb ...

neighborhood in Pathum Wan, or Yaowarat neighborhood in

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rat Na Thai noodle dishes Fried noodles

History

See also

References