There have been more than a few times in the past year when we have been asked to make some special dishes. Most of the time, these requests come from Asian patrons. They know any authentic Thai and Chinese restaurant can make certain dishes, whether or not those dishes are on the menu.

The ability to cook on request is the difference between restaurants with chefs who can cook Thai food and those with chefs who can fake their way through a few Thai recipes (or worse, warm something precooked). It is not the same thing. We are very fortunate to have a master chef from Thailand who was willing to spend years learning my family's ancient recipes.

Of course, there are times that even we have to decline a request and recommend a different dish. Sometimes it is because we do not have the right ingredients on hand, and substitutions will not do. Other times, the dish requires special attention.

Mee krob is an amazing Thai dish that is nearly impossible to make. We sometimes do it anyway.

Anyone who loves Thai food, especially people who were blessed to have a Thai mom (or dad) who loves to cook, knows that mee krob (a.k.a. mi krob or Thai crisp fried noodles) is a tasty dish with very interesting and addicting textures and flavors. It is one of my favorites. Mee krob is delicious.

However, it is not easy to make. Yes, it looks easy, especially in Thailand where some street vendors cook nothing but mee krob. These cooks are able to make it look easy because they wake up very early in the morning to begin a dish that requires significant preparation.

There really is so much to do. Depending on the recipe, the rice noodles have to be fried until they puff to the perfect golden brown (sometimes at a lower temperature than any of our woks). If tofu is included, it has to be deep fried to a perfect golden brown too. And mee krob is one dish that requires a sauce reduction to make it stand out.

This extra work isn't the real challenge that keeps mee krob off the menu in most restaurants. The real reason is that it has to be served and eaten immediately, before the noodles begin to soften under the sauce. It happens in about ten minutes.

When specialty dishes receive special treatment at Kung Fu Plaza.

Some people already know that the Wong recipe for mee krob is one of the most flavorful, even if we do not include it on the menu. We might if it were extremely popular. But as it stands today, mee krob is served under special circumstances.

Ideally, this means a large party calls us at least one day in advance and remembers to request mee krob when they place their reservations. Because of the noodles softening, mee krob is not really recommended for catered affairs (unless cooking onsite) or takeout (because the noodles will be too soft).

I do know that some restaurants put it on their menus anyway. If they do, it is a good indication that they are using pre-blended sauces or other tricks that do not represent authentic Thai cooking. When you visit Kung Fu Plaza, I know you will taste the difference.

Kung Fu Plaza, which is the oldest and most authentic Thai restaurant in Las Vegas, originally opened in 1973. It is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and offers more than 800 dishes on its menu and a few "off menu" dishes for our very special guests. Ask about our catering or large group reservations any time. And more importantly, happy holidays!