So I made Pad Thai today. It's not necessarily a hard thing to make but it's a bit tricky to get it right with the noodle part. I personally screwed it up a little bit while making it today but I'm writing about it so you can learn from my mistake.
1/2 tsp ground chili pepper (I just used pepper flakes b/c that's what I had in my cupboard)
1 egg
4 tsp fish sauce
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp tamarind
1/2 package of Thai flat rice noodle
1/3 cup extra firm tofu (cut into strips)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 minced shallot
2 cups bean sprout
lime wedges (optional)
chopped roasted peanuts (optional)
julienne green onions and carrots for garnish
1) Soak noodles in warm water for about 30 minutes. This is the part where it gets tricky. You want the noodles to be soft and pliable but not soggy and expanded. If there's such a thing as al dente for rice noodles, this is how you want your noodles. When in doubt, under soak it. If nothing else you can always add water to the noodles while you're cooking it to soften it but you can't undo the softening of noodles. When I made it, I way under soaked the noodles for fear of soggy noodles and I ended up standing at the stove stir frying the noodles for forever. Yeah, not fun.
2) Heat up the vegetable oil in a wok and when hot, put in shallots, garlic and the tofu. Stir fry until the tofu is gold brown. ( If you feel you need some meat in this dish, this is a good time to throw in some shrimp, sliced chicken or pork into the wok.)
3) Drain the noodles and put it into the wok and stir quickly to keep from sticking. Add in fish sauce, tamarind, sugar and chili pepper flakes. And a little tip about the tamarind. I just used the filipino sinigang tamarind soup base. You can find it at any 99 Ranch store. It tastes exactly the same if not better.
4) Once the noodles are cooked, put the noodles aside in the wok and make room for the egg. Scramble it really quickly and mix it back in with the noodles. Add in 1 cup of the bean sprouts. Give it a few more stirs and you're done.
You can serve it with a wedge of lime, a sprinkle of dry roasted peanuts and some raw bean sprouts on top. I personally like my bean sprouts cooked so I just dump them all into the noodles while they're still in the wok. To each his own so do what you like. Hopefully you guys give this recipe a try because the tangy-ness of the tamarind is perfect for the summer heat. Goes great with a glass of beer or ice cold lemonade. Enjoy~!
