A long-favored fixture of Thai restaurant menus the world over, mee krob (also spelled “mi krop”) is a superbly savory dish comprised of thin, crispy-fried rice noodles tossed in a rich, aromatic, sweet and sour sauce. Sometimes an entrée, sometimes an appetizer, and always a treat, some of our Buyers recently had the opportunity to try mee krob in Thailand for themselves. After taking in its complex flavors and chewy, crispy textures, inspiration struck, and they immediately began working with one of our Thai suppliers to create Trader Joe’s Mee Krob Snackers.

To make each batch of these shelf stable, vegan, gluten free mee krob morsels, our supplier starts much in the same way you would make mee krob in a restaurant setting: they deep fry rice noodles until they’re superlatively crispy, then add bits of fried garlic, fried shallot, and cashews for even more crunch. After that, they layer in a super flavorful sauce made with tamarind paste, vinegar, chili sauce, lime juice, and sugar. Once the noodles have soaked up the sauce and cooled down, they’re cut into one-or-two-bite squares, and voila: Snackers! Aside from being an excellent anytime snack, we’re particularly fond of them as an accompaniment for a spicy, curry-seasoned soup, a base for fancy seafood hors d’oeuvres, or as crouton for a sweet, citrus-y salad.