Oh man, I LOVE Thai food. It's got this amazing complexity and richness, and yet, tends to be made from just a few simple ingredients and actually incredibly healthy, despite its filling nature. I threw this dish together in about twenty minutes.
Husband actually said that he thought it was better than a lot of pad thais he's had in restaurants...and then proceeded to eat the remaining bowl of it I had intended to be my lunch the next day! While it does require fish sauce, a relatively uncommon ingredient in most Western dishes, and pad Thai rice noodles, both are really quite cheap and the fish sauce lasts FOR-EV-ER. This was a great date night dinner and I'm excited to make in many, many times in the future!
This is one of those recipes (this really applies to ALL recipes) that should be read all the way through before you start. It comes together very quickly and there are certainly places within the prep where you could be doing the next step while the previous step "works". There are also places where it is pretty essential you're already ready to go or you will have some problems with timing, proper cooking, etc. Like I said, once I read through it and got going, it really only took about 20 minutes from start to finish.
Easy Pad Thai
makes enough for 2-3 people
adapted from Thaifood.about.com
*The original recipe calls for chicken and shrimp. I didn't have those, so I made it with tofu. It was great, and I think it would be great with the chicken, or the shrimp, or just the tofu, or any combination.
8-9 oz pad Thai rice noodles (depends on the brand as to what the amount will be)
10-12 raw shrimp with shells removed
1-2 chicken thighs, chopped into bit-sized (or smaller) chunks
1.5 Tbsp soy sauce
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, minced and most of the seeds removed (or red or green chills)
1 tsp finely minced ginger
4 green onions, thinly sliced; separate white parts from green
1 egg
2-3 cups bean sprouts (like Mung bean sprouts, not like alfalfa sprouts)
2-3 Tbs oil for stir-frying (I used coconut oil)
Pad Thai Sauce
1/3 cup chicken stock (I used pheasant; I think water would work in a pinch)
3 Tbs white vinegar
1 Tbs lime juice (about half of one well-squeezed lime)
3-4 Tbs brown sugar (I actually would probably use honey in the future; the sugar didn't dissolve well in the sauce, which ended up fine, but I would have preferred it to have been more evenly distributed)
2 Tbs fish sauce
1 Tbs soy sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp pepper
Garnish
1/3 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped
lime wedges, for serving
(and the reserved green parts of the sliced green onions)
The sauce can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge. If using the chicken or shrimp, place in a bowl with the 1.5 Tbs soy sauce and allow to soak for a few minutes. If using tofu, use extra firm, make sure to press it well to remove the excess moisture first, and then cut into bite-sized chunks and soak in the soy sauce. If you haven't made the sauce, make it now and set aside.
Bring a pot of water to boil, toss in the noodles, and remove from the heat. Allow to cook for about six minutes, or until just starting to easily bend. Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking and stop the cooking. The noodles should be undercooked at this point. They will finish cooking during the stir-frying portion.
While the noodles are "cooking", prepare your jalapeño, ginger, onions, and garlic. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add your oil. When oil is hot, add the above ingredients and allow to stir-fry for 1 minute. If using chicken or tofu, add it now. Stir fry another 1-2 minutes. If using shrimp, add and stir fry until shrimp is just starting to turn pink. If the pan is getting dry, add a splash of the Pad Thai sauce.
Push all the ingredients to one side of the pan, add a tiny bit more oil, and then crack in your egg and quickly scramble. Once scrambled, add your noodles and a few tablespoons of the sauce. Using a "lift and turn" motion, move the noodles and other ingredients about the pan to get evenly cooked and sauced. Continue in this fashion, adding a few tablespoons of sauce every minute, until all the sauce has been used and the noodles are sticky and chewy. Toss in your bean sprouts and stir fry for just another minute or so; sprouts will get soft on the outside, but still have a nice crunch!
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed (more lime juice? more honey? more fish sauce?); I didn't change anything, but would probably add a pinch more fish sauce next time. Dish out into serving bowls and top with crushed peanuts, green onion bits, and a wedge of lime. Yum!!
This is one of those recipes (this really applies to ALL recipes) that should be read all the way through before you start. It comes together very quickly and there are certainly places within the prep where you could be doing the next step while the previous step "works". There are also places where it is pretty essential you're already ready to go or you will have some problems with timing, proper cooking, etc. Like I said, once I read through it and got going, it really only took about 20 minutes from start to finish.
Easy Pad Thai
makes enough for 2-3 people
adapted from Thaifood.about.com
*The original recipe calls for chicken and shrimp. I didn't have those, so I made it with tofu. It was great, and I think it would be great with the chicken, or the shrimp, or just the tofu, or any combination.
8-9 oz pad Thai rice noodles (depends on the brand as to what the amount will be)
10-12 raw shrimp with shells removed
1-2 chicken thighs, chopped into bit-sized (or smaller) chunks
1.5 Tbsp soy sauce
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, minced and most of the seeds removed (or red or green chills)
1 tsp finely minced ginger
4 green onions, thinly sliced; separate white parts from green
1 egg
2-3 cups bean sprouts (like Mung bean sprouts, not like alfalfa sprouts)
2-3 Tbs oil for stir-frying (I used coconut oil)
Pad Thai Sauce
1/3 cup chicken stock (I used pheasant; I think water would work in a pinch)
3 Tbs white vinegar
1 Tbs lime juice (about half of one well-squeezed lime)
3-4 Tbs brown sugar (I actually would probably use honey in the future; the sugar didn't dissolve well in the sauce, which ended up fine, but I would have preferred it to have been more evenly distributed)
2 Tbs fish sauce
1 Tbs soy sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp pepper
Garnish
1/3 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped
lime wedges, for serving
(and the reserved green parts of the sliced green onions)
The sauce can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge. If using the chicken or shrimp, place in a bowl with the 1.5 Tbs soy sauce and allow to soak for a few minutes. If using tofu, use extra firm, make sure to press it well to remove the excess moisture first, and then cut into bite-sized chunks and soak in the soy sauce. If you haven't made the sauce, make it now and set aside.
Bring a pot of water to boil, toss in the noodles, and remove from the heat. Allow to cook for about six minutes, or until just starting to easily bend. Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking and stop the cooking. The noodles should be undercooked at this point. They will finish cooking during the stir-frying portion.
While the noodles are "cooking", prepare your jalapeño, ginger, onions, and garlic. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add your oil. When oil is hot, add the above ingredients and allow to stir-fry for 1 minute. If using chicken or tofu, add it now. Stir fry another 1-2 minutes. If using shrimp, add and stir fry until shrimp is just starting to turn pink. If the pan is getting dry, add a splash of the Pad Thai sauce.
Push all the ingredients to one side of the pan, add a tiny bit more oil, and then crack in your egg and quickly scramble. Once scrambled, add your noodles and a few tablespoons of the sauce. Using a "lift and turn" motion, move the noodles and other ingredients about the pan to get evenly cooked and sauced. Continue in this fashion, adding a few tablespoons of sauce every minute, until all the sauce has been used and the noodles are sticky and chewy. Toss in your bean sprouts and stir fry for just another minute or so; sprouts will get soft on the outside, but still have a nice crunch!
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed (more lime juice? more honey? more fish sauce?); I didn't change anything, but would probably add a pinch more fish sauce next time. Dish out into serving bowls and top with crushed peanuts, green onion bits, and a wedge of lime. Yum!!