The first Thai dish I fell in love with was mee krob — which is also spelled mee grob, mi krop and probably a dozen other ways. But mee krob does just fine.
It was at a Thai-Chinese restaurant in East Hollywood, back in the day when all Thai restaurants were Chinese as well. I decided it was one of the best things I’d ever eaten — a brain-melting combination of sweet, spicy and crispy, a dish that approached the Platonic ideal. I soon added chicken satay to my growing diet of Thai dishes, probably because though I liked chicken on skewers, I couldn’t get enough of Thai peanut sauce. Still can’t.
And then, I went to Bangkok. And discovered that mee krob — a ubiquity on menus here — is rarely served there. As one restaurateur explained to me, “It’s a very difficult dish to make. It takes three days to get it right. Very few cooks can manage it. You should try the pad Thai noodles. Everyone can make them. And they’re just as good.”
I don’t know about “just as good.” They’re good…very good. But it’s mee krob that owns my heart. Or at least my […]
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