Thai at home // recipe

 

For my last meal at home, my mom (with some help from me) made homemade bread and pad thai. One of the best reasons to cook at home is the control. Pad Thai can be pretty heavy at a restaurant, but at home, you can lighten it up and adjust to your liking. This recipe is fresh and feel good. Don't you love my mom's big white bowls? Perfect for pad thai.

The bread recipe is from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day and has a sprinkling of Mediterranean salt on top from Whole Foods, the spread is grape jam homemade by my mom.

Pad Thai
Family Fun magazine 2007

½ pound dried rice noodles, linguine width

¼ cup Asian fish sauce

3 Tbs. sugar

2 Tbs. soy sauce

1 Tbs. water

½ tsp. dried red chili flakes (optional)

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 Tbs. chopped garlic

¼ pound skinless, boneless chicken cut into bite-size pieces

¼ pound shrimp (about 10-12 medium or 14-16 small) or substitute tofu

1 cup shredded carrot

2 cups fresh bean sprouts

½ cup chopped scallions

3 Tbs. freshly squeezed lime juice

Chopped peanuts

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.  Add the noodles and turn off the heat.  Let them stand for 10 minutes, using tongs or two forks to separate the strands as they soften and turn from translucent ivory to white. Drain the noodles, rinse them well in cold water, and drain again.  Set them aside

In a small bowl, stir together the Asian fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce, water and chili flakes (if desired), until the sugar dissolves and everything is well mixed. Set aside.

Heat 1 Tbs. of the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat.  Add the egg and scramble it as it cooks just until it is no longer runny, about 30 seconds.  Transfer the egg to a plate.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and swirl it around.  Add the garlic and toss well.  Add the chicken and cook it until the edges have mostly changed color, about 1 minute.  Toss it well and continue cooking to brown it, about 30 seconds, then push it to the sides.  Scatter the shrimp, spreading them out, and cook until the edges have changed color, about 1 minute.  Toss them well.  Add the carrot and cook everything about 1 minute longer.  Scoop the chicken, shrimp, and carrot into a bowl, leaving as much oil as possible in the pan.

Swirl the last tablespoon of oil in the pan.  When it’s hot, add the noodles, spreading them to the edges.  Cook for 1 minute, until the oil sizzles.  Scoop up the noodles and turn them over in a big mass.  Cook them another minute, then turn them again.

Pour the sauce mixture around the sides of the pan.  When it sizzles, place the cooked chicken and shrimp on the noodles along with the bean sprouts, scallions, and cooked egg.  Gently scoop the noodles from the bottom and turn them over.  Continue tossing them to mix in the chicken, shrimp, egg, etc.  Remove the pan from the heat.  Add the lime juice and toss the noodles well.  Serve the pad thai hot or warm, topped with chopped peanuts if you like.  Serves 4