Monday, August 20, 2012

Pad Thai

This recipe is being added by special request. I'm so glad I was asked to post it because it's so good and I'm really excited to share it with you! 

I LOVE Thai food!! My husband LOVES Thai food!! If you love Thai food as much as we do you are in luck because this is THE best Pad Thai recipe hands down. When I was working as a pre-k teacher, we were treated to a staff appreciation dinner every year. The parents would make all kinds of wonderful dishes for us to enjoy. One of the parents made a chicken and shrimp Pad Thai. Being vegetarian I was unable to try it. I was very disappointed, however, my co-workers did try it and said it was fantastic! We asked the parent for the recipe, but she didn't have one. She just made it the way she had always made, probably passed down from relatives. Since she didn't have a written recipe she searched at the library and found a recipe that matched hers. She photocopied it and brought it in to school a few days later. I am so glad she went through all the trouble! I will never try another Pad Thai recipe again!! 

This recipe calls for shrimp and tofu. When I make it I only use tofu because that's what we like. You can just use shrimp or you could use chicken or shrimp and chicken. Either way I'm sure you will love it just as much as we do! Here it is.

Ingredients
  • 1 package of dried rice noodles (I use the wide ones)
  • 2 limes
  • 1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar (I have also used light brown sugar and haven't noticed much of a difference)
  • 2 Tbsp rice wine or white vinegar (I recommend rice wine)
  • 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp ketchup
  • 1/2 pound fresh large or fully thawed frozen shrimp, cut into 1 inch pieces 
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 5 or 6 sprigs of cilantro
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced 
  • 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 pound bean sprouts (about 3 cups)
  • 1 ounce of firm tofu, cubed (when I make this I use a whole package of tofu)
  • 3 Tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
  • 2 large eggs, slightly beaten

Directions
  1. Place the noodles in a large bowl. Cover the noodles with warm water and push them down to completely submerge. Let soak for one hour. ( You can boil the noodles, however, I recommend the soaking method. They don't get mushy that way. You can soak them while you prep everything else.)
  2. In a small bowl, mix the juice of one lime, fish sauce, brown sugar, rice wine, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and ketchup. Set aside.
  3. Cut the other lime into wedges for garnish.
  4. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan (I suggest using a non-stick pan) over medium-high heat.
  5. Add the garlic and stir fry for about 30 seconds.
  6. Add the shrimp and tofu and stir fry for about 4-5 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through and the tofu is lightly browned. (I brown the tofu in oil before the garlic. I then remove the tofu and add it later. This way the garlic doesn't burn while I'm waiting for the tofu to brown.)
  7. Add the drained noodles and stir fry until they are evenly coated with the oil.
  8. Add the sauce and stir fry for 3-4 minutes or until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed into the noodles.
  9. Push the noodles aside to open up the center of the wok or pan.
  10. Add the beaten eggs and cook without stirring for about 1 minute or until the eggs begin to set.
  11. Add the peanuts, bean sprouts, green onions and bell pepper, and stir fry until all the ingredients are well combined and the eggs are broken up and cooked. This will take a few minutes so be patient!
  12. Serve hot on a large platter and garnish with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs.
I would of course share the information about the book that this recipe came from but I don't know what it is. All I have is photocopied pages. I have tweaked this recipe to make it just right for us and that is what I've shared with you. If you have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go you will be surprised how easy this recipe is! It's totally worth it! Give it a try and, as always, let me know how it turns out.


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