January 5, 2010

Pad Thai

I've done it! I'm very excited because I've actually cooked a great tasting pad thai, after all my 'nearly there' attempts back in the UK.

Ok ok, I had some help thanks to my cooking class with Asia Scenic, but I'm now ready to spread the word to the masses. Hopefully I can retain my pad thai masterfulness on my return to the UK, but for now I'll just put it down in writing...

Serves 1-2

4-5 garlic cloves - NB spring onions are not an alternative; they create a completely different flavour so please avoid.
1 piece of tofu
2 stalks of garlic chives
100g bean sprous
50g chopped chicken (can substitute for prawns or tofu)
200g pad thai noodles:

These are best cooked from fresh. However, mostly dried noodles are available outside of Asia - if this is the case for you, get your noodles in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes before cooking. Pull them out when they are almost al dente. Drain under cold water and wait until most of the water has dripped off before using to cook.

1 egg
2 tbspn vegetable oil (avoid sesame, olive etc as these will alter the flavour)
1 tspn brown sugar
2 tbspn fish sauce
3 tbspn oyster sauce
1/2 cup water

To serve

Dried chilli flakes
Chopped peanuts
Lime quarters


First things first, some essentials, a chopping board and a sharp knife - in this case a meat cleaver, but it did the job really well!



As you can see, you only need a slice of tofu, but for the vegetarians out there, add another slice or two.


Right, down to the recipe. Start with the garlic chives by lining them up together. Chop in half, and then half again, until you have pieces that are about an inch long.

Next, chop the garlic. This is a great time saver - use the side of the knife to bang the garlic on the chopping board. This will crush it and cause it to burst out of the skin, making it 100 times easier to peel. Once done, chop it up nice and small. The tofu and chicken need to be cut into really thin pieces, about an inch long. Finally, take a handful of the beansprouts and stick these all on a plate in order, so you know which goes in when.




Next, put a wok over a low heat, and add the oil. After a few seconds, add a piece of garlic. When it starts to sizzle, chuck in the whole lot and keep moving around to avoid burning. After a few seconds, throw in the chicken and tofu, cooking for about a minute.





Next, using your spatula, remove the chicken mix to the side of the wok, leaving the oil at the bottom. Add the egg and the sugar, along with the fish sauce and oyster sauce. Mix together well.


Finally add the noodles and a small amount of water (1-2 tablespoons - more if needed) and keep mixing.


Serve on a plate, sprinkle the remaining uncooked beansprouts over the top and serve with the dried chilli flakes, lime and chopped peanuts:


3 comments:

  1. I made this this evening Kim, very tasty indeed. I also made the summer rolls and dipping sauce thing, very good recipes Miss. Keep them coming.

    Clemmie
    x

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  2. i thought pad thai need tamarind

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  3. I asked about this in my class and the answer was completely depends on the recipe. I have used tamarind before using recipes online back in the UK, but this really tasted like genuine pad thai even minus the tamarind. I would suggest you could try both versions - I think a teaspoon of tamarind paste is sufficient.

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