After publishing that post on a wonderful street side pad thai from Bangkok a few days ago, I made two batches of pad thai at home, and realize it is an easy dish to master, customize and make one’s own. It takes so little time and effort to make a batch that can easily feed 6-8 hungry folks. Here is a bit more guidance for those of you who sent comments on instagram or questions through my email.
Heat up a well-seasoned wok and add some vegetable oil, say 2-3 tablespoons worth. Add 3-4 eggs, cracked and dropped straight into the oil and lightly scramble them, leaving visible bits of yellow and white, not a homogenous yellow mass.
When it starts to dry out add slices of boneless, skinless chicken breast and let this braise and cook through but not necessarily brown the surface of the meat.
Add some peeled and de-veined shrimp and season with a bit of salt and/or good thai fish sauce or patis.
Toss a bit until all the shrimp and chicken are cooked through.
Meanwhile, into a pot of boiling water, dunk 250g of medium thick rice noodles for say 30-60 seconds until just barely cooked but not overly soft and limp. Better to err on the al dente side.
Add lots of bean sprouts, some brown sugar (or palm sugar syrup if you have it), some fish sauce and mix gently.
I added some homemade tamarind paste (don’t overdo it, the sourness can overpower) and a bit more fish sauce and a bit of sriracha sauce and toss some more until everything is well-blended.
Add some chopped green onions, toasted and chopped peanuts and serve with a side dish with dried thai chili flakes and real limes. This was a hit. Several platters at an office lunch were inhaled in minutes. We did this again at home (the slightly fancier version with shrimp and nuts) to good results as well. A large serving of pad thai is all we had for lunch yesterday. Followed by a macapuno tart/parcel, also homemade, of course. :)
9 Responses
This looks really delish…..Thanks for the recipe made easy with great photography!
yum!!!
Try lard instead of vegetable oil the next time. I’ve a feeling it’ll up the ante greatly!
Oh wow! Great idea.. It looks so GOOD!
Thank you very much MM. Was going to ask you for the recipe but got more….with step by step pictures yet! Thanks again.
I can see myself making this using shirataki noodles. What is that? I hear you say:
Shirataki noodles are a powerful tool in fighting off obesity and T2 diabetes. Aside from a little fibre and some water, the noodles are basically empty of carbohydrates and flavourless, but they’ll absorb the flavours of anything you prepare them with. They also expand once ingested so it helps in fostering a feeling of satiety (sa-she-ty).
Only thing is, if you are on low carb diet, you have to be very sparing when adding sweeteners to the sauce.
love the copper pan. my mom and lola call that a “tacho”, and wouldn’t dream of making jam or haleya or matamis na bao (coconut jam) without it. i read somewhere that rubbing lime or lemon juice over the pan keeps it shiny.
the best!!!
That really looks yummy! I should try making this for my son. Thanks, Marketman.