Pad Thai for everyone!

Preparing and enjoying food is very important to the people of Thailand. Meals are social. I thought it was interesting that although eating is considered a high social value, many Thai people do not have kitchens, especially true for those who live in apartments. They eat with their neighbors at small food stands or purchase food at the local street vendors.

One of the PIONEERS team members has been working hard to develop friendships with key people in the Ubon community. She does this by teaching English classes in private homes. One of those wonderful relationships resulted in a personal invitation to the family's restaurant for a private cooking lesson. Our group of four were treated to an afternoon of learning to prepare an authentic dish called Pad Thai.

I love to cook, so it was fun to help in the preparation (lots of chopping and slicing!) and then in the cooking of our own portions. We did this with the assistance and supervision of the restaurant owner. She was very encouraging and patient with us. Luckily we didn't burn down her kitchen!

While I was in Thailand, I dined on everything from (UFOs- Un-identified Food Objects!) at the neighborhood street vendors, to lovely meals prepared like this at our friend's restaurant. What a treat! Our Hostess even showed us how to encase the Pad Thai noodles and vegetables in a very thin egg omelet for a pretty presentation.

Pad Thai Ingredience
1/2 lb. dried thin gkuay dtiow or rice noodles (also known as ban pho to the Vietnamese)
3 Tbs. fish sauce, to taste
3 or more Tbs. tamarind juice the thickness of fruit concentrate, to taste
2 Tbs. palm or coconut sugar, to taste
4 Tbs. peanut oil
1/3 lb. fresh shrimp, shelled, deveined and butterflied
3/4 cup firm pressed tofu, cut into thin strips about an inch long, half an inch wide and a quarter inch thick

4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 shallots, thinly sliced (or substitute with half a medium onion)
1/4 cup small dried shrimp
1/4 cup chopped sweetened salted radish
2-3 tsp. ground dried red chillies, to desired hotness
3 eggs
3 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 cup garlic chives, cut into 1 1/2-inch-long segments (optional)

Pad Thai Garnish
2/3 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
1 lime, cut into small wedges
A few short cilantro sprigs
4 green onions - trim off root tip and half of green leaves and place in a glass with white end in cold water to crisp (optional)

Now What?

Soak the dried rice noodles in cool or lukewarm tap water for 40 minutes to one hour, or until the noodles are limp but still firm to the touch. (If you are using fresh noodles it will only take a few seconds in boiling water) While the noodles are soaking, mix the fish sauce with the tamarind juice and palm sugar; stir well to melt the sugar. Taste and adjust flavors to the desired combination of salty, sour and sweet. Prepare the remaining ingredients as instructed.

When the noodles have softened, drain and set aside. Heat a wok over high heat until it is smoking hot. (Note: If your wok is small, do the stir-frying in two batches. The recipe may also be halved to serve two.) Add 2 teaspoons of oil and quickly stir-fry the shrimp until they turn pink and are almost cooked through. Salt lightly with a sprinkling of fish sauce and remove them from the wok.

Swirl in the remaining oil, save for 1 teaspoon, to coat the wok surface and wait 20 to 30 seconds for it to heat. Add the tofu, frying 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pieces turn golden. Add garlic and stir-fry with the tofu for 15 to 20 seconds. Follow with the sliced shallots and cook another 15 seconds. Then add the dried shrimp, sweetened salted radish and ground dried chillies. Stir and heat through a few seconds.

Add the noodles and toss well with the ingredients in the wok. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes and when most of the noodles has changed texture and softened, push the mass up along one side of the wok. Add the teaspoon of oil to the cleared area, crack the eggs onto it and scramble lightly. When the eggs have set, cut into small chunks with the spatula and toss them in with the noodles.

Add the sweet-and-sour seasoning mixture. Stir well to evenly coat noodles. If the noodles are still too firm to your liking, sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of water over them to help cook. Taste and adjust flavors as needed to your liking by adding more fish sauce or tamarind juice; if the noodles are not sweet enough, sprinkle in a small amount of granulated sugar.

When the noodles are cooked to your liking, toss in 2 of the 3 cups of bean sprouts and the garlic chives (if using). Sprinkle with half the chopped peanuts and return the shrimp to the wok. Stir and when the vegetables are partially wilted, transfer to a serving platter, or dish onto individual serving-size plates, and garnish with the remaining bean sprouts and chopped peanuts, the lime wedges, cilantro and green onions.

How many will this serve?

Serves 4 for lunch or dinner. Squeeze lime juice over each portion before eating and enjoy!