This recipe for Pad Thai (Fried Noodles) is a yummy dinner everyone in my house loves. It is nice to have one meal that we all like. I learned to make Pad Thai when I lived in Thailand years ago. Unfortunately, I lost the original recipe, but I am still hoping that it will turn up some day.
Also, in Thailand you use a spoon and fork to eat pad thai, but the picture with the chopsticks looked nice.I rediscovered making pad thai when I made this for the Gourmet Club with my friend, Lauren. We found the hard to find ingredients at The Bangkok Center Grocery in Chinatown. (They ship anywhere in the US in case you have a hard time finding tamarind and fish sauce.) If you want to see pad thai being prepared, you can go to THAI FOOD TONIGHT to watch them cook an authentic pad thai recipe.
Bangkok Center Grocery
104 Mosco Street (bet. Mott and Mulberry St.)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 732-8916
Easy Pad Thai Recipe
4 T. oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 shallots
1 egg
4 oz/120 g dry flat rice noodles soaked in water for 20 minutes until soft and drained
2 T. lime juice
1&1/2 T fish sauce
2 T. tamarind sauce
1/2 t. palm sugar (or sugar)
2 T. chopped roasted peanuts
1/8 tsp dried red chili powder (or cayenne)
1/2 cup bean sprouts
2 spring onions/scallions, chopped into 1 in.
sprig of coriander leaf, coarsely chopped
1 lime cut into 4 pieces for garnish
In a wok or frying pan, heat the oil, add the garlic and fry until golden brown. Break the egg into the wok, stir quickly and cook for a couple of seconds. Add the noodles and stir well, scraping down the sides of the pan to ensure they mix with the garlic and egg. One by one, add the lemon juice, fish sauce, tamarind, sugar, half the peanuts, the chili powder, 1/4 cup of the beansprouts, and the spring onions, stirring quickly all the time. Test the noodles for tenderness. When done, turn onto a serving plate and arrange the remaining peanuts, dried shrimp and beansprouts around the dish. Garnish with the coriander and lime wedges.
Anonymous - I love pad thai and can't wait to try this, but do you have brands of fish sauce or tamarind that you like? I worry about sauces that have hidden msg.