Pad Thai
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- ½ cup fish sauce
- ½ cup palm sugar
- ½ cup water
- ¾ cup tamarind paste
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes ( (optional))
For the dish:
- 1lb Pad Thai rice noodles
- 12oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into ¼” strips
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp water
- 5 Tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ cup dried shrimp, blended or crushed into powder
- 2 red onions, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, minced
- 5 Tbsp preserved sweet radish, minced
- 4 whole eggs
- 4 cups mung bean sprouts
- 1 cup scallions or garlic chives, cut into 1/2” sections
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 whole lime, sliced into wedges, for garnish
- ½ cup toasted chopped peanuts, for garnish
- 1 fresh lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Begin by making the Pad Thai sauce.
- Combine the fish sauce, palm sugar, water, tamarind paste, and oil in a sauce pot and heat until sugar is dissolved.
- Allow mixture to cool, and add lime juice and red pepper flakes to taste, if desired.
- Toast ½ cup of peanuts gently and allow to cool.
- Chop toasted peanuts and set aside for garnish later.
- Marinate the chicken cut into strips in 2 Tbsp soy sauce for 1-2 hours.
- Mix together the cornstarch and water, and coat the marinated chicken in the cornstarch and water mixture.
- Place the Pad Thai rice noodles in an oven-safe bowl and pour boiling water over to cover the noodles.
- Allow to steep for 5 minutes, drain out water, and allow noodles to cool down and remain in cold water while you cook the rest of the dish.
- Cook the chicken strips on high heat in 3 Tbsp vegetable oil until browned and reserve meat on paper towels and set aside.
- Cook the red onion on medium heat in the remaining vegetable oil.
- After 3 minutes, reduce heat slightly and add the garlic, ginger, dried powdered shrimp, a splash of water, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken that was cooked earlier in addition to the sweet preserved radish.
- Push the ingredients to one side of the pot.
- On the empty side of the cooking vessel, add 2 Tbsp vegetable oil and begin to softly scramble the 4 eggs in the oil.
- When the eggs are barely cooked, drain the rice noodles and add them to the pot.
- Add the mung beans to the mix.
- Add 5-10oz of the Pad Thai sauce to the dish and stir to coat the noodles and mung beans.
- Add the scallions or garlic chives and ½ cup of the chopped cilantro and quickly stir to combine.
- Serve dish with remaining fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts, and fresh lime wedges as garnish.
Notes
You will note that some of the ingredients listed above can be difficult to find in traditional Western supermarkets. Many of these ingredients can be found in Asian grocery stores or online.
You will not need to use all of the Pad Thai sauce in this recipe. It keeps wonderfully in the fridge for a few weeks, and is quick and easy to add to meat and vegetable stir-fry dinners throughout the week.
You will not need to use all of the Pad Thai sauce in this recipe. It keeps wonderfully in the fridge for a few weeks, and is quick and easy to add to meat and vegetable stir-fry dinners throughout the week.