Pad Thai, my way

Posted by Michael on Jun 27, 2008 in Recipes | 0 comments

Back in the 90s, I started making pad thai after reading about the dish in a magazine. Lots of people make a big deal about Pad Thai but it’s really intended to be a quick, street-food kind of dish. In the U.S. and Canada, we have hot dog stands on the corners of our big city streets, whereas in Thailand, you’ll find little noodle stands whipping up batches of pad thai and other dishes to order in a couple minutes.
It’s a versatile dish that can be made with meats, shrimp or just tofu but is based around the concept of stir fried noodles with lots of fresh crunchy veg mixed in.
Most ingredients are fairly easy to find nowadays in major grocery stores. Thai fish sauce is now common. You may have to go to an Asian grocer to find dried shrimp though.
Keep in mind, technique is as important as the ingredients. You’ve got to have the right pan, the right heat and an eye for what’s happening once you start throwing stuff in your wok. Like any stir fry out of the Orient, this one goes together fast due to very high heat. Give it a try!

Pad Thai

1/2 bag of wide rice vermicelli noodles (from a 400 g bag)
1/3 lb of small raw, peeled shrimp (or an equal amount of finely sliced chicken or pork)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dried shrimp, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 to 2 tablespoons finely minced dried bird’s eye chili or other hot chili
1/4 cup white vinegar mixed with 2 to 3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce and 2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup coarsley chopped peanuts
3 green onions, chopped
1 loosely packed cup of fresh chopped cilantro
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1 egg, beaten

A wedge or two of lime per person

Get everything ready before you heat up that wok.

Put the dried rice vermicelli in a high sided pan and cover with cold water. Let stand 30 minutes then drain very well. Heat a wok over high heat for two or three minutes. Add a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil, then the shrimp (or meat). Quickly and actively stir fry until nearly cooked. Add the garlic, dried shrimp and hot chili and stir fry another 15 seconds or so. Add the rest of the oil, then the drained noodles. Toss and stir fry for about 15 to 30 seconds, scraping the bottom of the wok as necessary. Add the vinegar-fish sauce-tomato paste mixture and stir fry well, mixing it into the noodles. Add a few tablespoons of water if it gets dry too quickly. While stir frying, add half the sugar, then half the peanuts, all of the green onion, all of the cilantro and the bean sprouts, stirring well with each addition. Stir and toss for a couple minutes until it’s all heated through. Add the egg and stir again until the egg is incorporated and cooked. Serve in a large

serving dish topped with more bean sprout and cilantro with a bit of chopped peanut and brown sugar on the side, with a wedge of lime to squeeze on top for each person.   Serves two as a main course.

Spicy and fresh tasting!

EDIT: Note, a classic ingredient in Pad Thai is tamarind. This might be another tough one to find if you want to include it (I usually don’t bother). You can cheat a bit though and add a dash of Worcestershire sauce (a brewed mix of anchovy and tamarind) if you’d like a stronger flavour to your dish.