Pad Thai

Pad thai, a favorite noodle dish of many but not something that’s made at home very often.  I am skeptical of any recipe that claims to be an ‘easy’ pad thai so I won’t claim that this is a simple recipe but if you can get past the prep work then the rest is down hill.  If you can soak some rice noodles for 30+ minutes, make a quick sauce, chop up some green onion, garlic, cilantro, peanuts and your favorite protein (chicken or shrimp) then this recipe is for you. You’ll notice chicken in the pictures but next time we’ll try it with shrimp.  I made a little extra sauce to baste the chicken while cooking which I will do the same next time with the shrimp (or use the sauce as a marinade but be careful with citrus in marinades as it alters the proteins).  When cooking chicken or shrimp with this dish make note that you will need to slightly under cook the protein then add the noodles so they get to temperature as the noodles are finishing.  I didn’t include instructions for chicken or shrimp but cook it as you normally would and add it near the end.

The absolute key to making pad thai is getting the noodles cooked properly.  The first time I made this I soaked the noodles according to the package, just 8 minutes, big mistake.  The second time I made this I soaked the noodles in hot water for 40 minutes then added them to the skillet and they came out great.  Be weary of any directions that tell you to soak rice noodles for less than 20 minutes.

Soaking the noodles in warm water was the first step.

Sauce is ready.

Scallion whites and greens separated and some garlic.

Chicken cooked and ready for another chop prior to going into the skillet.

Scallion whites, garlic and egg almost done.

Scallion/egg mixture off; noodles and chicken ready for sauce.

Noodles are nice and soft. All done.

Ingredients

• 8 oz. dried, wide and flat rice noodles
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• Juice from 1 lime, plus wedges for serving
• Lime zest
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/8 tsp Sriracha, if you like a little kick to your pad thai
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 3 scallions/green onions, white and green parts, separated and thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 large eggs, light beaten
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped, salted peanuts

Directions

1. Soak noodles in warm water for 40 minutes (or until they are soft). Drain.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, lime zest, soy sauce, and Sriracha.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add eggs and cook, scraping skillet with spatula until eggs are almost set (about 30 seconds). Transfer eggs to a plate.
5. Optional: If using chicken or shrimp, cook in the skillet (or grill) and par cook so they finish with the noodles.
6. Add noodles, scallion greens, and sauce to skillet. Cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft and begin to stick together. Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking eggs up gently.
7. Serve noodles with lime wedges, topped with cilantro and peanuts.