North Thai Spaghetti Sauce

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 lb spaghetti
• 12 large thai dried red chili peppers (to taste)
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 lbs lean lamb, ground finely
• 4 tomatoes, ripe, fresh, peeled and chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons nam pla (thai fish sauce)
• fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• cucumber, peeled and finely diced
• green beans, snapped into short lengths
• carrot, sliced thinly
• celery, sliced thin

Recipe

• 1 soak the chilies in hot water for about 15 minutes and then reduce them to a paste by pounding them in a mortar with the garlic and salt. you can use a blender if you wish, but a mortar and pestle do a better job.
• 2 heat the oil in a heavy saucepan and sauté the chili-garlic mixture for about 5 minutes, making sure that it does not stick to the pan. add the lamb, saute it until it is well browned and then add the tomatoes. add the chopped green onions and the nam pla and cook the mixture for about half an hour uncovered, stirring when necessary to make sure that it does not stick. cook pasta to your taste and place it in a serving bowl. spoon the sauce over it and serve it garnished with the coriander leaves and the fresh vegetables. makes 4 servings.
• 3 note: handle the chilies with care—wash hands after use.
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