Pad Thai

I finally found a good Pad Thai recipe, thanks to Austyn, who's husband lived in Thailand - so they know! I kept putting it off because everytime I would attempt to buy the ingredients, they were too expensive at the regular grocery store. Finally, after staring at the noodles in my pantry and craving this dish, I headed out to one of two Asian food markets in Tucson and got all the main ingredients for a fraction of the price. I have tried other versions, and this one hits the spot, so I wouldn't skimp on an ingredient if you are wanting something genuine. Even Ben said, "mmmm, it smells like Thai food" while I was cooking dinner - without knowing what I was making. A good sign, I think.

{picture to come}

Ingredients

4 ounces fettuccine-width rice stick noodles (mine pictured are a little bit thinner, but still worked)

1/4 cup peanut oil

2 to 4 tablespoons tamarind paste

1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla)

1/3 cup honey

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

1/4 cup chopped scallions

1 garlic clove, minced

2 eggs

1 small head Napa cabbage, shredded (I didn't have any so I used carrots instead)

1 cup mung bean sprouts

1/2 pound chicken breast

1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 limes, quartered

Directions

1. Put noodles in a large bowl and add boiling water to cover. Let sit until noodles are just tender; check every 5 minutes or so to make sure they do not get too soft. Drain, drizzle with one tablespoon peanut oil to keep from sticking and set aside. Meanwhile, put tamarind paste, fish sauce, honey and vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and bring just to a simmer. Stir in red pepper flakes and set aside.

2. Put remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; when oil shimmers, add scallions and garlic and cook for about a minute. Add eggs to pan; once they begin to set, scramble them until just done. Add cabbage and bean sprouts and continue to cook until cabbage begins to wilt, then add shrimp or tofu (or both).

3. When shrimp begin to turn pink and tofu begins to brown, add drained noodles to pan along with sauce. Toss everything together to coat with tamarind sauce and combine well. When noodles are warmed through, serve, sprinkling each dish with peanuts and garnishing with cilantro and lime wedges.