Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Pad Thai




Ingredients:
1 package of dry rice noodles(preferably size M)divided
1 pound of shrimp, cleaned and deveined(also marinated with 2 Tbsp of the FINISHED pad thai sauce)divided
6 cloves of chopped garlic, divided
2 Tbsp of ground chili paste mixed with 1/2 tsp of paprika(if you like it spicier, add more chili powder, or you can omit all the spicy flavors and sub with more paprika for color), divided
4 eggs, divided
bean sprouts
peanut oil
sesame oil
some warm water

For the pad thai sauce:
3/4 cup of palm sugar(or sugar)*
1/4 cup of tamarind concentrate plus 1 cup of warm water
1/2 tsp of salt
1 cup of warm water
1/2 cup of fish sauce
*Browse my blog on a quick post on how to melt palm sugar!

Garnishes:
dry roasted, ground peanuts
chives
chili powder or ground chili paste
fresh bean sprouts
lime wedges

*BE SURE TO HAVE ALL OF YOUR INGREDIENTS READY BEFORE STIR FRYING!

Soak your dry rice noodles in some warm water for about 30 minutes or until al dente. You want them to be slightly softened and pliable but not too soft. Just check on them often to make sure you don't overdo it. Drain them completely and drizzle in some sesame oil. Toss to coat. Set aside.

Combine all of your ingredients for your pad thai sauce in a pot and cook on an outside burner. If you can't simmer this outside, then you might want to rethink making this dish! The aroma from the fish sauce simmering away, is bad enough to make you want to climb into your car, drive half way across town, and slap yo mama. No lie. You want to keep the ingredients at a medium boil, with the lid slightly cracked to relieve some steam. Boil for about thirty minutes, or until you see most of the liquid start to bubble away and has become slightly thickened. Make sure you stir often to prevent burning. Once done, set aside to cool down. The sauce will thicken upon standing. Set aside.

Take some pad thai sauce and mix it in with your shrimp. Next, with a wok on medium high heat, add in 2 cloves of chopped garlic and stir fry for a few seconds. Add in your shrimp and cook until almost cooked through. Remove and set aside.

Using the same wok, add in two handfuls of the dried noodles. Add in a little bit of warm water plus a ladle of pad thai sauce. Cook until noodles are done to your liking(making sure to stir constantly to prevent sticking). Add half of the shrimp back in and make a well in the center of the wok. Crack two eggs into the middle and wait a minute before mixing. Stir to combine the eggs with the noodles and shrimp. Once done, turn off heat and mix in some bean sprouts. Remove immediately, and place on a serving platter. Garnish with chives, dry roasted peanuts, chili powder or paste, fresh bean sprouts, and lime. Repeat process to make second batch.

Notes:
Do not double recipe for pad thai sauce. You must make the sauce in separate batches if you want more sauce. Once cooked, you may store in airtight container and keep for future use. If you would like more "tang" then you can add more tamarind concentrate. I like to add a generous squeeze of lime at the end, so too much tamarind for me would be overkill. The sauce on it's own might taste strong, but once you stir fry it with the noodles it will be perfect! Remember, it should taste slightly sweet, slightly tangy, and slightly salty! I say, "divided" in the recipe because you must cook everything in batches. In the video below, I show you how to make one batch of pad thai.

18 comments:

  1. Looks so good! I love Pad thai.

    Liz @ rusticpeach.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Pad thai is definitely a favorite amongst most people, huh??

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  2. I'm so glad I found your recipe on YouTube! Definitely going to try making this soon, it looks delicious!

    Ayra
    http://ataleof2cs.blogspot.ca

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  3. This looks so good, I can't wait to try it.
    Silly question, why do you only make one batch of sauce at a time?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When you double the recipe, you have to cook the sauce for longer and for some reason, it comes out saltier. So, in theory, you may double the recipe but you would have to modify the ingredients.

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  4. I was really excited to see such an easy pad thai recipe but when I made the sauce the fish sauce smell was seriously bad enough for me to go run to my mama and slap her, which I didn't but no joke that smell was reeaaallll bad O_O!!, I was wondering if the fish sauce smell was suppossed to still have a pretty strong scent in the sauce when it's finished. Did I do something wrong or is it supposed to be like that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there. Sorry for the late response but I've moved blogs, so there's been a delay. The smell shouldn't be too strong once you're done cooking it. When you add it to your noodles during stir frying, the smell will not be strong. Also the type of fish sauce matters. Some are more saltier and smell stronger. I recommend the Three Crabs Brand.

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  5. I am unable to find the quick post on how to melt palm sugar. Can you briefly tell me again how to do it? Your Pad Thai looks so delicious

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lovely! Here it is: Procedure: Take 1 pound of hard palm sugar and cover completely in COLD WATER. Once the sugar begins to break down slightly(about 15 minutes), remove and drain well in a colander. Place sugar into a microwave safe bowl, and add in 2 tbsp of warm water. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes. Remove and stir. Place in an air tight, microwaveable container and store in a cool, dry place like a cupboard. Reheat it as often as you need it. If you would like to keep it in a more liquid state...add more water before you microwave.

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  6. The recipe looked nothing like that.

    Filthy lies!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry it didn't work out for you. Maybe you can elaborate, so that we can see what went wrong for you?

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  7. Hi- why do you have one cup of water listed twice in your sauce recipe? Thanks!

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  8. Can I half the sauce recipe? Also instead of palm sugar can I use brown sugar, and is it still the same amt?

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  9. Thank you for the recipe! I also watched your youtube video which was nice. I think making the sauce from scratch is definitely the most challenging part (besides the pungent smell you noted). I personally used a premade pad thai sauce while following most of your recipe and it worked out well.

    Letting the rice noodle sit in hot water instead of boiling it is key - unlike the normal wheat pasta, rice noodle cooks much more quickly and leaving it firm before stir-frying definitely helps with this dish.

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  10. On the sauce recipe is it 2 cups of water or 1?

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    ReplyDelete
  12. Nice. Thanks for sharing such detailed recipe instructions. I also like your recipe, and I'm going to start cooking it right now. I frequently cook vegetarian pad thai recipe which is one of my favorite recipe. I generally look for amazing recipes online and try to make them. Now I'm thinking that I've found yet another fantastic recipe. Expect many more recipes from you in the future.

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