Pad Thai

As you might remember, a while back I attended a cooking class with my sister.  And this weekend I decided to try out the recipes from the class.  First up, Pad Thai.  I love Pad Thai!!  Well, I love Pad Thai from a restaurant, I wasn't sure about Pad Thai from my kitchen.  My quite frequently bare part of the kitchen has been slowly accumulating different ingredients so I didn't have to buy the entire recipe for once!  My first stop was the grocery store.  I decided quite early on to buy the sauce instead of try and make it on my own.  Next time I think I will actually try to make the sauce.  I also didn't quite follow the recipe exactly, even though it was actually a fairly easy recipe, but it turned out okay.  Not nearly as good as Nit Noi (my fave Thai restaurant in Houston!), but not bad at all.

And for the actual recipe:

Two handfuls soft Chantaboon Rice Noodles

3 tablespoons oil

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup prawns or chicken (optional)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 to 1/2 cup Pad Thai sauce

1/3 cup diced fried tofu

2 tablespoons sweet radish, optional

3 tablespoons chopped chives or green onion

1/4 cup ground roasted peanuts

1 cup bean sprouts

Sauce:

2/3 cup tamarind concentrate

2/3 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup light soy sauce

1/3 cup fish sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup palm sugar (or brown sugar)

3 tablespoons garlic powder

1/4 cup Sriracha chili sauce

• To prepare the sauce - place everything in saucepan and bring to a boil on medium heat for 15 minutes or until the sauce becomes thick.
• Soak the rice noodles in a large bowl of warm water for 30 minutes, or until soft.  Drain and set aside, covered up with a dishtowel.
• Pour 1/2 tablespoon of oil into a large skillet, and add eggs. Scramble into medium-sized pieces, and transfer to plate. Set aside.
• Add in garlic and cook for about 10 seconds. Add chicken; cook, stirring constantly until chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
• When the chicken is almost cooked through, stir in noodles, followed by the pad thai sauce.  Let the sauce boil and cook the noodles at the same time; mix well until the sauce is absorbed.
• Stir in the tofu and radish.  Check the noodles, if they are not done add some more sauce.  When they are done, stir in chives, sprouts and peanuts before removing the pan from the stove.
• Serve with fresh sprouts, limes wedges on the side, and extra peanuts on the top.