Mama Carbonara
มาม่าต้มยำคาโบนาร่า·(ma-ma tom yam ka-bo-na-ra)
Late-Night Mama Noodles (Thai Dorm Food & Cravings)
Ignore the printed instructions and drop a dry brick into the hot saucepan at two in the morning, armed with little more than an electric hot pot and a 24-hour convenience store down the street. This Bangkok dormitory survival ritual demands a foil packet of Mama Tom Yum noodles boiled in milk and emulsified with cheap processed cheese, letting the sour punch of the seasoning and a raw yolk cut the dairy into a velvety sauce. It sounds chaotic, but it is culinary genius—kill the heat, fold a plastic-wrapped cheese slice in, and eat straight from the metal pot.
Ingredients
- Mama brand Shrimp Tom Yum instant noodles2 oz
- bacon or hot dog2 oz
- whole milk1/2 cup
- American cheese1 slice
- egg yolk1 large
- scallions1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Par-boil the noodles to wash away excess starch.
Bring a couple cups of plain water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Drop in the dry noodle block and boil for exactly 60 to 90 seconds, just until it begins to loosen. Drain the noodles and discard the water to ensure your final sauce is silky, not gummy.
- 02
Render the meat.
Wipe the saucepan dry and place it over medium heat. Add your chopped bacon or hot dog slices and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until crispy and the fat has rendered.
- 03
Build the cream sauce.
Lower the heat to medium-low and pour the milk directly into the pan. Once the milk comes to a gentle simmer, lay the slice of American cheese into the milk and stir gently until it completely melts into a slightly thickened cream.
- 04
Infuse the Thai flavor.
Add your par-boiled noodles back into the pan. Stir in the entire chili paste packet, but only add half of the dry Tom Yum seasoning powder to start. Toss the noodles for 1 to 2 minutes until the liquid reduces and clings to them like a rich glaze.
- 05
Emulsify with the egg yolk.
Turn the heat completely off and remove the pan from the burner. Immediately drop the raw egg yolk into the center and stir vigorously and continuously. The residual heat will cook the egg yolk into a luxurious, glossy sauce without scrambling it.
- 06
Garnish and serve immediately.
Transfer to a bowl, top with scallions, and eat while hot and creamy.
Notes
Control your salt.
The Mama Tom Yum seasoning packet is designed to flavor an entire bowl of water. Since we are reducing it into a half-cup of milk with salted bacon and processed cheese, adding the whole powder packet immediately might make it far too salty. Start with half and adjust to taste.
Respect the cheap cheese.
Do not try to elevate this with artisanal aged cheddar. The magic of this dish relies entirely on the emulsifying superpowers of a cheap processed cheese slice to prevent the highly acidic Tom Yum seasoning from curdling the hot milk.
From Cook Thai in America.