My first attempt at pad thai. : )
OK, given that I've never made pad thai before, I was expecting to have to try a few times before I got something I was satisfied with. Instead, somehow, I managed to avoid a culinary train wreck and come up with something I'm quite content with.
Pad Thai (version A)
Ingredients:
Sauce
(The important thing about pad thai sauce is that it needs to be a mixture of sour, salt, sweet, and spicy.)
* 1/4 cup rice vinegar (original recipe calls for tamarind, which I'm lacking in, but vinegar adds the sour taste that's needed as well)
* 1/4 cup fish sauce (alternatively, you can use soy sauce for a vegetarian option; either with add the salty taste needed)
* 1/4 cup brown sugar or palm sugar (for obvious reasons)
* 1/2 teaspoon Chinese red pepper
Stir-Fry Miscellanea
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1/2 lb. chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
* 1/4 - 3/8 lbs. Asian style noodles (easily available at most Asian markets)
* 1 small onion, diced
* 4 oz. mushrooms, sliced (about half a supermarket package)
* 4 oz. bean sprouts
* 1/2 cup peanuts
* 1 egg (optional)
* 1 green onion, diced (optional)
(My first time, I completely forgot about the egg, and didn't bother to put the green onion in. It tasted quite good regardless. I'll try adding them next time around.)
Method:
1. Prepare the sauce by heating the rice vinegar, fish sauce, and brown (or palm) sugar over low heat. It will smell vile, like someone put fishhooks in your nose, but ignore the aroma and focus on the taste, adding additional measures of vinegar, fish sauce, or sugar to shift the sauce towards more salty, sour, or sweet per preference. When the taste is to your satisfaction, stir in red pepper and allow to simmer for a few minutes before removing from heat.
2. Soak the dry noodles in lukewarm water for 8 - 10 minutes while preparing the other ingredients. Dice up the chicken, onion, garlic, and green onion if you are using it. Wash the bean sprouts.
3. Heat the wok on medium-high, and pour the oil in. Allow oil to coat the whole of the bottom of the wok. Add the diced garlic to the hot oil, and stir-fry for about 30 seconds to allow the garlic to flavor the oil.
4. Add diced chicken and stir-fry for 1 - 2 minutes, long enough to begin to sear the outside. Drain noodles; they should be flexible but not expanded at this point. Add noodles and stir quickly to keep them from sticking. Add onions and mushrooms; then add sauce and stir vigorously to mix all ingredients.
(4b. If adding egg, make room for it by pushing all noodles to the side of the wok. Crack the egg onto the wok and scramble it until it is almost all cooked. Scramble and fold the egg into the noodles.)
5. Add bean sprouts and peanuts and stir-fry for 1 additional minute or so.
Makes 3 - 4 decent-sized servings.
Overall, I was really surprised at how well this turned out, even without the egg. It compared favorably to good restaurant pad thai I've had, and was noticeably better than the crappy takeout pad thai I had last Saturday. I'm definitely going to make this again.
Pad Thai (version A)
Ingredients:
Sauce
(The important thing about pad thai sauce is that it needs to be a mixture of sour, salt, sweet, and spicy.)
* 1/4 cup rice vinegar (original recipe calls for tamarind, which I'm lacking in, but vinegar adds the sour taste that's needed as well)
* 1/4 cup fish sauce (alternatively, you can use soy sauce for a vegetarian option; either with add the salty taste needed)
* 1/4 cup brown sugar or palm sugar (for obvious reasons)
* 1/2 teaspoon Chinese red pepper
Stir-Fry Miscellanea
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1/2 lb. chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
* 1/4 - 3/8 lbs. Asian style noodles (easily available at most Asian markets)
* 1 small onion, diced
* 4 oz. mushrooms, sliced (about half a supermarket package)
* 4 oz. bean sprouts
* 1/2 cup peanuts
* 1 egg (optional)
* 1 green onion, diced (optional)
(My first time, I completely forgot about the egg, and didn't bother to put the green onion in. It tasted quite good regardless. I'll try adding them next time around.)
Method:
1. Prepare the sauce by heating the rice vinegar, fish sauce, and brown (or palm) sugar over low heat. It will smell vile, like someone put fishhooks in your nose, but ignore the aroma and focus on the taste, adding additional measures of vinegar, fish sauce, or sugar to shift the sauce towards more salty, sour, or sweet per preference. When the taste is to your satisfaction, stir in red pepper and allow to simmer for a few minutes before removing from heat.
2. Soak the dry noodles in lukewarm water for 8 - 10 minutes while preparing the other ingredients. Dice up the chicken, onion, garlic, and green onion if you are using it. Wash the bean sprouts.
3. Heat the wok on medium-high, and pour the oil in. Allow oil to coat the whole of the bottom of the wok. Add the diced garlic to the hot oil, and stir-fry for about 30 seconds to allow the garlic to flavor the oil.
4. Add diced chicken and stir-fry for 1 - 2 minutes, long enough to begin to sear the outside. Drain noodles; they should be flexible but not expanded at this point. Add noodles and stir quickly to keep them from sticking. Add onions and mushrooms; then add sauce and stir vigorously to mix all ingredients.
(4b. If adding egg, make room for it by pushing all noodles to the side of the wok. Crack the egg onto the wok and scramble it until it is almost all cooked. Scramble and fold the egg into the noodles.)
5. Add bean sprouts and peanuts and stir-fry for 1 additional minute or so.
Makes 3 - 4 decent-sized servings.
Overall, I was really surprised at how well this turned out, even without the egg. It compared favorably to good restaurant pad thai I've had, and was noticeably better than the crappy takeout pad thai I had last Saturday. I'm definitely going to make this again.