Thai Noodles (Pad Thai)

Submitted by Ms B.

"This is an adopted recipe that I have not yet had time to prepare. The original poster's comments are as follows: "This is my favorite version of Pad Thai. It's a wonderful mix of flavors - the sweetness is nicely contrasted with the tartness of the limes and red chilis. You can use chicken, pork, shrimp or a combination of all three. This is a meal in itself - It's really great with Thai iced tea! From "Thai Home Cooking" by Kamomal Pootaraska -- NOTE: I replaced the original version of recipe #7941 (when I adopted it in February 2005) with this authentic version that I have used time and time again with great success. It tastes just like the Pad Thai I have enjoyed in authentic Thai restaurants.""

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 8 ounces Thai rice noodles, 1/8
• 4 tablespoons fish sauce
• 6 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 4 green onions
• 1 cup dry-roasted unsalted peanuts, Coarsely Ground
• 1⁄2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄2 1/2 lb pork, cut in chunks (or 1/2 lb of a combination of 2 or all 3) or 1/2 lb raw shrimp (or 1/2 lb of a combination of 2 or all 3)
• egg
• bean sprouts
• 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 limes, cut into wedges

directions

1. Soak rice noodles in warm water for 20 - 25 minutes - they should be soft but not mushy; they will soften when they are cooked in the liquid.
2. (prepare accordingly depending on your choice)Peel and deveign the shrimp, leave the tails intact - cut the chicken and/or pork into 1/8 inch x 1 inch pieces.
3. Mix together fish sauce, sugar, vinegar and tomato puree until sugar is dissolved, set aside.
4. Slice the scallions on the diagonal 1/4 inch thick, set aside.
5. Heat a wok and add the oil, then stirfry the meat and garlic - when meat is cooked (no longer pink) add the drained noodles and quickly stir to coat with oil - quickly add the sauce and stir carefully to avoid breaking the noodles.
6. Move the noodles to the side and add eggs - let them set a bit then break them up and continue to stir fry - add additional oil if necessary to keep noodles from sticking- continue to toss until eggs are nicely distributed.
7. Add 3/4 Cup peanuts, bean sprouts and scallions - toss.
8. Remove to serving platter, garnish with 1/4 Cup ground peanuts, sprinkle with the chili flakes and serve with lime wedges to squeeze over the top.

Reviews

[Teresa in CO]

Fantastic! I had no idea it was so easy to make restaurant-quality pad thai at home. I used chicken and shrimp but will maybe try tofu next time. I also added 4 T instead of 6 T of sugar, per someone else's suggestion, but I thought it needed that little extra sweetness- my fault! I also agree you don't need to add all the oil- I just added oil as I went and didn't use the whole amount. Will definitely make again!

 

[nott2339]

I am a newbie to Thai cuisine, and don't care for the heavy use of basil in many of their dishes. However I had pad thai and enjoyed the sweet, sour, tart sensations. This recipe was my first try, and I really like it. I did use Jaggery (an Indian brown sugar) instead of white sugar. I also used vidalia onion since I had no scallions. My next change was to use Chinese bean thread vermicelli, since I had no rice noodles. Despite all the changes, it came pretty close to what I was looking for! I did not use any meat. Next time I will be sure to have bean sprouts! Next time I will also scramble the eggs separately and then fold the cooked eggs in. Thanks for this recipe ms_bold. It is a great launching place for me to experiment with Thai!

 

[Ranikabani]

Light and tasty. It was a little bit sweet for my liking but I think if I omit the sugar next time, it would be better (for me, that is) :)

 

[Brian D.]

Great recipe, but the proportions seem off. Needs double the sauce to sufficiently cover the noodles. However, acter "doubling," I used 1/3 less vinegar than called for, and that was still a bit too much. Same with the red pepper flakes, and possibly with the sugar. However, I would double the amount if garlic. Great fast though -- tastes like a restaurant!

 

[Francisca C.]

This is a great recipe! My family loved it. So easy to prepare and make.