Pad Thai

So, I needed to make my new dish for the week, and on Saturday we got all excited about making Pad Thai. I've fumbled around making stir fry before, but have never actually attempted Pad Thai, a dish we ate nearly every day on our adventure in Thailand a few years ago. I made a list and off to the grocery store we went. Alas, apparently, though you can find rare Honduran cheese and crazy spices, any and all sorts of dried chilies, Mexican Papaya the size of your head and yucca in our grocery store, you can not find rice noodles. Crap. Alas, Pad Thai was not to be had.

Luckily, I made it out to Manhattan on Sunday for a super awesome BBQ and was able to stop by a Whole Foods to pick some up. Monday night, the Pad Thai was on.

Now, there literally endless Pad Thai recipes, as Erin recently noted. I was really excited to use the cookbook we received in Thailand from the cooking class we took in Chang Mai. However, the directions, being loosely translated from Thai were not quite as clear as one would like. So, I used a combination of that book, The Thai Everything Cookbook, and good old Martha, Great Food Fast.


Yes, that is my name apparently written in Thai.



We made our Pad Thai with shrimp and tofu, and it was mighty tasty. A little spicy, but the spice somehow lessened when I had it for lunch today, I have no idea why.

Shrimp Tofu Pad Thai

3-6 Garlic Cloves, presses
1 Shallot, chopped
oil
1/2 box of rice noodles
1/4 C Shiracha (sp?) sauce (tomato based chile sauce), this was spicy, so add less if you don't want heat.
2 TBS Fish Sauce
2 TBS Light Brown Sugar
Juice from 1 lime, plus more for garnish
1/2 package of Trader Joes cooked shrimp
1/4ish package of Tofu, cut into small pieces
1 egg
A good handful of bean sprouts
6-8 Scallions, chopped
1/2 C or so of chopped peanuts

Let your noodles soak in room temperature water for at least 30 minutes.

In a wok, heat a TBS or 2 of oil add garlic and shallots, saute until fragrant. Add the shrimp to warm through if frozen. Add tofu. Stir fry a few minutes. Transfer to a separate plate.


Alex was excited about taking action shots.

In a bowl, combine chili sauce, lime juice, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Add to the wok with your pre-soaked noodles. Stir fry until noodles become soft. Add your shrimp and tofu mixture back in. Cook another few minutes. Then add your peanuts, then bean sprouts, then scallions. Add your lightly beaten egg, cook until the egg is cooked, then serve. Garnish with more bean sprouts and a wedge or two of lime.