Pad Thai

Submitted by Chef mariajane

"This is another Thai dish that is exceptionally good. Some of the tips for Thai cooking are as follows: 1, To tone down a dish that is too spicy, add coconut milk or plain yogurt. A little sugar may also diminish some of the heat. 2. To tone down a dish that is too salty, add lime juice, or lemon juice. 3. When you find a dish not salty enough, add fish sauce instead of salt or soy sauce if you are vegetarian. This way you will get more flavor as well as the saltiness you're seeking. 4. To sweeten, Thai dishes, you can use plain white sugar, although brown sugar is closer to the rock sugar most Asian chefs use. 5. If you find your dish not sour enough, a little lime juice, or tamarind water will suffice nicely (a small amount of tamarind paste mixed in water). 6. Not spicy enough? That's easy! add more fresh (or dried) chiles, cayenne pepper, chili powder or a tsp. of Thai chili sauce."

 

• Ready In: 20mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 2-3

ingredients

• 8 -10 ounces Thai rice noodles, linguine -width
• 1 1⁄2 cups raw chicken breasts, sliced (or thigh meat)

• marinade for chicken

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups fresh bean sprouts
• 3 spring green onions, sliced
• 1 cup fresh coriander
• 1⁄3 cup peanuts, roughly chopped (or other nuts such as cashews)
• 1⁄4 chicken stock
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 3⁄4 tablespoon tamarind paste (dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water)
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 -3 teaspoon chili sauce (depending on how spicy you want it)
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

• OTHER

• lime wedge, for serving
• oil, for stir-frying

directions

1. Place noodles in a pot of water and place on the stove. Bring near a boil, then remove from heat. Allow to sit while you prepare the other ingredients (about 10 minutes).
2. Make the Pad Thai sauce by combining the sauce ingredients together in a cup. Stir well to dissolve both the tamarind paste and the brown sugar. Set sauce aside.
3. Note: This may seem like a lot of sugar, but you will need it to balance out the sourness of the tamarind. Thai balance is what makes Pad Thai taste so tangy-terrific!
4. Place chicken slices in a small bowl. Pour the marinade (2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons soy sauce) over the chicken. Stir well and set aside.
5. Check the noodles. Note that you will be frying the noodles later, so you don't want ot over-soften the at this point. Noodles are ready when they are soft enough to be eaten, but are still firm and chewy. Drain and rinse through with cold water. Set side.
6. Warm up a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the wok is hot add 2 tablespoons oil plus garlic. Stir-fry until fragrant - 30 seconds.
7. Add the chicken together with the marinade. Stir-fry 30 seconds to 1 minute.
8. When wok or pan becomes dry, add a little chicken stock (2 Tbsp at a time) enough to keep the chicken frying nicely. Continue in this way until the chicken pieces are cooked (about 5-8 minutes).
9. Add the noodles, and pour the Pad Thai sauce over. Using two spatulas, wooden spoons, or other utensils quickly stir-fry the noodles (like tossing a salad) instead of the usual stir-frying motion, or the noodles may break apart.
10. Fry the noodles in this way for 1-2 minutes. If you find your wok too dry, push noodles aside and add a little more oil to the bottom, (but no more broth or the noodles will become soggy).
11. Add the bean sprouts and sprinkle over the ground black pepper. Continue "tossing" for 1 more minutes or until noodles are cooked. Noodles are done to perfection when they are 'no longer "hard" or translucent. They should be opaque and chew-sticky wonderful!
12. Taste-test the noodles for seasonings, adding more fish sauce as needed (I usually end up adding up to 1 more tablespoons fish sauce, as I lie mine on the salty side). Toss well to incorporate.
13. To serve, lift the noodles on to a serving plate. Top with generous amounts of fresh coriander, spring onion (green onion), and crushed or chopped nuts. Add fresh lime wedges, (lime is great overtop), and serve with a bottle of Thai chili sauce on the side for those who like it extra spicy!