Pad Thai

This is one of my favorite Thai dishes and the one I most want to try some day IN Thailand, bought from a street vender. Compared to traditional Pad Thai, this version is pretty boring. But it's tasty and does have the sweet, tangy, spicy taste that drew me to Thai food.

Pad Thai

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz. box rice noodles
• 8 Tbs lime juice (juice of 4 limes)
• 6 Tbs fish sauce
• 5 Tbs sugar
• 1 tsp Thai chile paste (to taste - this doesn't make it very spicy)
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 4 Tbs coconut oil
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 8 green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts + 3 Tbs chopped peanuts (for garnish)
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts

Directions:  

1. Prepare rice noodles according to package directions for stir fry.
2. Keep one slice from the middle of each lime for garnish. Juice the limes into a small mixing bowl. Add the fish sauce, sugar, and Thai chili paste and whisk together.
3. Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces and toss with soy sauce.
4. Cut green tops off of onions, leaving about an inch of green with white, and save for garnish. Finely mince the remaining pieces of onion.
5. Put 2 Tbs of coconut oil in large skillet (or wok) over high heat. Crush garlic cloves into oil while it is heating. Stir in the minced onions and 1/4 cup of chopped peanuts, and reduce heat to medium high. When onions are soft, add in the chicken and soy sauce mixture. Continue stirring until chicken is cooked through. Push mixture to side of pan and on the other side add 2 Tbs coconut oil and scramble the eggs. When eggs are done, stir together entire mixture.
6. Reduce heat to low and add prepared sauce, a small handful of bean sprouts (optional), and noodles. Toss together until all ingredients are well incorporated.
7. Garnish with lime slices, long slivers of green onion tops, remaining bean sprouts, and 3 Tbs of chopped peanuts.

This was adapted from the Restaurant-Style Pad Thai recipe on the back of Annie Chun's Pad Thai rie noodles.

I thought it was pretty tasty and the family loved it, but didn't think it was quite as good as Siam Thai (their website says they are open on Sunday, but they are not). I don't know if it's possible to make a good pad thai at home without tamarind paste. On my next try I'm going to use Annie Chun's Pad Thai Sauce since it's all-natural and has tamarind, plus use more traditional ingredients (tofu, dry shrimp and fresh bean sprouts to see if it makes a difference.

~ Enjoy!

Thai Peanut Curry Sauce

INGREDIENTS:
1 can of coconut milk
2 Tbs Thai red curry paste
1 Tbs chili garlic sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs soy sauce
juice of 1/2 a lime
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in bite-sized pieces
salt
cabbage, shredded
cooked rice or noodles

DIRECTIONS:
Heat coconut milk in a small pot over medium-low heat, stirring to make sure it doesn’t stick. Once warm, add curry paste and chili garlic sauce, whisk until thoroughly blended.
Add fish sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce, and lime. Continue to whisk. (Add additional garlic chili sauce if you like it spicier.)
Salt chicken pieces to taste and fry in pan until cooked through. Add chicken to sauce, cover, and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Lightly steam the cabbage, and place a bed of it on rice or noodles. Cover with sauce, and garnish with finely chopped peanuts and/or green onion.

This recipe is still a work in progress. I had it for the first time years ago at Royal Thai restaurant in Bowling Green. I’ve tried to find a recipe on the internet that is as good, but haven’t had any luck. Since I’m not known for my great recipe-following skills it only makes sense that I’d try to come up with a recipe on my own. :) This is very, very close.

This recipe is adapted from Praram Long Song (Thai peanut curry sauce) at Subverting Solitude.

~ Enjoy!