Drunken Spaghetti brings a little heat

This recipe from Nongkran Daks’ most recent cookbook might convince you to go in the Thai direction. She’s the chef-owner of Thai Basil in Chantilly, Va., a master chef and cooking instructor who has collected her most approachable dishes in this slim volume.

As she explains in the book, drunken spaghetti came about in the 1960s, when American soldiers began arriving in Thailand in large numbers. They were homesick, so Thai cooks “Americanized” their traditional drunken noodles preparation by substituting the thinner wheat pasta for the wide noodles. Daks’ rendition has a fair amount of heat, thanks to the bright Thai chilies.

Do you happen to have 5 cups of cooked spaghetti in the refrigerator? If so, you’re way ahead of the game.

Sweet soy sauce, sometimes called kecap manis, is available at Asian supermarkets. You can use equal parts molasses and low-sodium soy sauce instead.

Drunken Spaghetti With Shrimp (Spaghetti Khii Mao)

4 servings

Adapted from “Nong’s Thai Kitchen: 84 Classic Recipes That Are Quick, Healthy and Delicious,” by Nongkran Daks and Alexandria Greeley (Tuttle, 2015).

Kosher salt

7 ounces dried thin spaghetti

1 cup no-salt-added chicken broth (may substitute water)

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

4 cloves garlic

8 cherry tomatoes

2 to 4 fresh Thai chili peppers

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp, defrosted if frozen

1 cup loosely packed Thai basil leaves

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a generous pinch of salt, then the pasta. Cook according to the package directions (to al dente). Drain and rinse.

Whisk together the broth, low-sodium soy sauce, fish sauce, sweet soy sauce and vinegar in a liquid measuring cup until well blended.

Mince the garlic. Cut each tomato in half. Seed and finely chop the Thai chilies (to taste).

Heat the oil in a wok or deep saut? pan over medium heat; swirl to coat the sides. Once the oil shimmers, add the garlic; stir-fry for about one minute or just until evenly golden, then add the shrimp; stir-fry for two to three minutes or until most of it is barely opaque.

Measure 5 packed cups of the cooked pasta, then add it to the wok or saut? pan; toss to coat and incorporate, then add the tomatoes and soy sauce mixture, Thai basil leaves and Thai chili slices. Toss until evenly distributed and warmed through, then immediately divide among wide, shallow bowls.

Per serving: 420 calories, 30 g protein, 47 g carbohydrates, 12 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 185 mg cholesterol, 1,500 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber, 9 g sugar