16 ounces rice noodles
3 limes, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 red chilies, seeded
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon ginger
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
3 cups coconut milk
salt and pepper
water

1. Combine chilies, garlic, ginger, cilantro and sesame oil in a mortar and pestle or food processor to form a paste.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat and add the paste, stirring to combine with the oil.
3. Add the lime juice, tamarind paste and coconut milk to the paste, then reduce heat and simmer while cooking the rice noodles.
4. Bring enough water to cover the noodles to a boil, add the noodles and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes.
5. Drain the noodles, place in individual bowls and cover with the sauce.

Makes 4 servings

4 six ounce sirloin steaks
1/2 cup peeled lemongrass, chopped
3 shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 red chilies, seeded and chopped

1. Combine lemongrass, shallots, fish sauce, sugar, oil, garlic and chilies and marinade steaks overnight.
2. Preheat grill.
3. Place steaks on the grill and sear the outside, turning 90 degrees to get nice grill marks.
4. Flip and repeat on the other side. Continue grilling to desired doneness.
5. Allow the meat to rest for several minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings

Following in the footsteps of the Alton Brown dinner, I decided to make a similar recipe to one that I saw Jamie Oliver cook on Letterman a few nights ago. The original dish involves shrimp and scallops, which would have been lovely if I had shrimp and scallops. Scallops are something like /pound which puts them far out of my price range, no matter how fond I may be of them. One of the comments on the Jamie Oliver bulletin board was that this dish wasn't Thai, as he stated, but more Malaysian. So, I call them Malaysian Noodles. They were delicious and freakishly filling. There was a hint of spiciness from the chilies that was nicely dulled by the coconut milk and it just has a very nice hot and sour sort of flavor to it.

Since I didn't have the seafood accompaniment, I made Grilled Lemongrass Beef to go along with it. I've actually never had lemongrass before (on purpose anyway) and, for some reason, was surprised that it tasted pretty much like, well, grassy lemon. The lemony flavor was all but completely overshadowed by garlic and chili. I have to say that this is probably the most beautiful steak that I've cooked so far this year. Take a look at those perfect grill marks! The marinade is also quite tasty, even though I had expected it not to be. One thing that was a little off-putting was the smell of fish sauce emanating from the grill. Instead of cooking it juicy steak it smelled as though I was whipping up fillet-o-fish from McDonalds. Luckily the finished product did not resemble this in the slightest.

Altogether I successfully made an Asian flared meal once again without simultaneously repulsing myself. Not only did I finish the whole thing, but I was quite full afterwards with plenty of leftovers (I only had the pictured amount of a single steak). I must say that I am quite happy with this accomplishment, even though I am somewhat disappointed with lemongrass. On a similar note, I am now curious of how I can get my hands on lime leaves.