Instructions: This soup is a popular light meal in Thailand, and often sold by "stop me and buy one" hawkers who pedal tricycles around the streets. The traditional form is made from beef offal, and contains cows blood.

There is nothing odd about this: cows liver and kidneys are popular in Britain, as are the lights (lungs) - at least they were before mad cow desease! Blood is a major component in black pudding - a form of sausage that is also popular in Britain.

However the dish can be made quite satisfactorally from any cut of beef, and the blood can be omitted, or replaced, as in this version, by red wine Bulls Blood is a heavy red wine from central Europe and is suitable (if only because of the name?)

The noodles should be cut into handleable pieces (the Thais dont bother and eat soup with chop sticks (not used for any other type of food), but as this is an art that takes considerable practice, it is easier to cut up the noodles to eat the soup with a spoon.

So here is a non-vampire version of kuaitiao neua:

nam kaeng jued (soup stock): break the bones with a hammer, and roast them for 15 minutes in a hot oven. Bring the water to the boil, and add the vegetables, and the bones to the pot, Boil gently for an hour. Boil vigorously to reduce to about half the volume you started with. Allow to cool, skim off the fat, filter through a fine seive.

kuaitiao neua: Soak the noodles for 15 minutes, and then chop them into 2-3" long pieces for ease of eating. Heat the stock to a gentle simmer, and add the wine, and all the other ingredients except the beef, mushrooms and noodles. When the stock is again boiling add the beef and simmer until the beef is tender. Add the mushrooms and noodles, and cook for a further one-two minutes Garnish with a few coriander leaves and serve with nam jim rod dedt (see separate recipe).

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