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Monday, 23 January 2012 04:10 |
Pad thai is one of thoe dishes that cant have advanced preparation. The vegetables, sauces and noodles all stir fried on high heat gives the noodles the perfect texture and authenticy. And there is no way you can omit the bean sprouts as these add a distinct flavor to the vegetarian version of the dish. As you continue to make it you will notice that you like it bit less sweet or a bit more spicy, so continue to later those tastes and have a fun time cooking one of my favorites from my kitchen.
MAKES 5 to 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
350 grams dried Pad Thai rice noodles
4 eggs or 1 cup soft tofu
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup onion, finely chopped
3-4 "heads" of baby Bok Choy, roughly chopped
2 cups bean sprouts
1 cup spring onions, sliced
1/3 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1/2 cup roasted pounded peanuts
A few red chillies, chopped
OTHER:
3 tablespoons oil for stir-frying
2 tablespoons water or vegetable stock
lime wedges for serving
PAD THAI SAUCE:
3 tablespoons of tamarind paste
1 cup hot water
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Sriracha (Southeast Asian chilli sauce)
¼ cup brown sugar
METHOD
Bring a pot of water to a boil and remove from heat. Soak noodles in the hot water for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Tip: Noodles are ready to drain when they are soft enough to eat, but still firm and a little bit "crunchy". The noodles will finish cooking when they are fried.
Dissolve tamarind paste in the hot water. Add the other pad thai sauce ingredients and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add as much or as little chili sauce as you prefer, but don't skimp on the sugar (you need it to balance the sourness of the tamarind). Set aside.
Place your wok over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil plus the garlic and onions. Stir fry for about a minute to release the fragrance.
Add the bok choy plus the two tablespoons water. Stir-fry 2 minutes, or until bok choy is bright green and slightly softened.
Push ingredients to the side of the wok and add a tablespoon more oil to the center of the wok/pan. Add the eggs and stir-fry briefly to scramble them.
If using soft tofu instead of egg: Add it when you add the noodles. It will break up into small bits and be distributed throughout the dish, just as egg would.
Push eggs aside and add a little more oil to the middle of the wok/pan. Now add the drained noodles and 1/3 of the sauce. Stir-fry everything together for 1 minute using 2 ladles and a tossing motion (like tossing a salad).
Add a little more sauce and continue stir-frying in the same way for 1-2 more minutes, or until the noodles begin to soften and become sticky. Reduce heat to medium if they begin to stick and burn.
Add the bean sprouts plus the remaining sauce. Stir-fry to incorporate everything together for 1-3 more minutes, or until noodles are done. Noodles are cooked to perfection when they are soft but still deliciously chewy and a little bit sticky. Remove from heat and taste-test, adding more pad thai sauce or soy sauce or chill sauce if desired for more salt or flavor.
To serve, scoop noodles onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with the green onion, coriander/cilantro, and ground nuts. Add wedges of fresh-cut lime on the side. Serve immediately and ENJOY! Thai chili sauce can also be served on the side for those who likes their noodles extra spicy
Pad Thai Tip: When I make this recipe, I like to double the sauce. Then I keep adding more as I fry the noodles until I'm happy with the taste (I like the flavor strong). |
