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Anyone who has eaten Thai food has surely tried pad thai - it is perhaps the quintessential Thai dish.
Typically an unnatural pinkish orange color and oftentimes overly oily, this noodle dish is nevertheless delicious and satisfying.
I fell in love with it after my first bite.
Traditional pad thai is flavored with fish sauce, chilies, brown sugar and tamarind, assertive ingredients that complete the balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet that is commonly present in Thai meals.
Eggs and shrimp add protein making this nearly a meal in one.
Bean sprouts, scallions and chopped peanuts add great crunch and, for garnish, a wedge of lime is a must.
You can find rice noodles in any Asian market or most quality supermarkets - I like the Thai Kitchen brand because the noodles are cut shorter than most and therefore don't explode all over when you open the package.
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Thai Corn Fritters
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Pad Thai
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Steamed Spinach with Peanut Sauce
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Jasmine Rice
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Ingredients
6 ounces dried rice noodles
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons tamarind liquid (see "Cooking Tips" below)
1-1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
8 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 cups bean sprouts
1 cup chopped scallions
1/3 cup finely chopped peanuts
lime wedges
Cooking Instructions
Place the noodles in a large bowl and cover with cold water.
Soak for about 45 minutes (until softened but still firm) and then drain very well.
In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, tamarind liquid, rice vinegar, sugar and paprika.
Stir until the sugar dissolves and set aside.
In a wok or large saucepan (preferably non-stick), heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat.
Add the shrimp and garlic and cook until the shrimp are just cooked through (1 to 2 minutes.)
Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
Add about another half tablespoon of oil to the wok and then add the eggs.
Cook, stirring gently to break up the clumps, until just set (about 30 seconds.)
Add the remaining oil, noodles, shrimp and sauce mixture to the wok and cook, stirring, until warmed through.
Stir in the bean sprouts and scallions.
Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts.
Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side.
Makes 2 to 4 servings
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Soaking the rice noodles for a long period in cold water is traditional.
I prefer this method because I can get the noodles soaking right away and then move on to preparing the other ingredients.
If you are short on time, you can cover the noodles with hot water and soak for 15 minutes only.
To make tamarind liquid, break off 1/4 cup of tamarind from a block and cover with boiling water in a small bowl.
Let stand for at least 2 hours at room temperature.
Pour the infusion through a sieve into a clean bowl, pressing the pulp through the sieve.
Discard the seeds and leftover fibrous pulp.
Leftover tamarind liquid can be kept for 3 weeks in the refrigerator or frozen.
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