Monday, September 10, 2012

Pad Thai

For some reason I thought making this dish would be difficult, but when you think about it it's really just a rice noodle stir-fry. My daughter always orders it when we go to a Thai restaurant, so surely a homemade version must be even better. That was my thinking anyway, and when I was looking for the ingredients I came across A Taste of Thai pad thai noodles and sauce. They even have a recipe on the box which I used as a starting point.


The key to a good stir-fry is in the prep. Once you have everything sliced, chopped and ready to go it's just a matter of cooking it in the proper order to create a dish worthy of what you'll find in most restaurants. 


Pad Thai
Serves 4

Flat Rice Noodles (16 oz box)
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons of grape seed oil (or any vegetable oil)
1 full boneless chicken breast
3/4 lb of large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 bunch of scallions
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1 cup of pad thai sauce
1 teaspoon of tamari sauce
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1.5 cups bean sprouts (I forgot to buy spouts which is why you don't see them in the photo)
2 limes, quartered

Soak the noodles in hot water for 25 minutes. Cut the chicken and shrimp into 1 inch pieces. Slice the scallions, chop the peanuts and cilantro. Place those imaginary bean sprouts into a bowl, too. Put each ingredient in it's own container so you can quickly add them to the stir-fry.

Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a wok or large frying pan. Warm it over medium high heat for a few minutes. Add the egg and cook for 30 seconds, stirring to break it up. Add the chicken and shrimp and cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until both are cooked through. Drain the noodles. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the noodles. Continue stir frying for 4-7 minutes, or until the noodles are tender. Keep turning them in the pan so they cook evenly. Add the scallions, peanuts, bean sprouts, pad thai sauce and tamari and cook for another minute. Place on a serving platter and sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro. Garnish with the quartered limes and squeeze one over your pad thai just before eating. Oh, and homemade is better.

Note: If you're not crazy about bean sprouts then omit them. Ours tasted fine without them.

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