Homemade Pad Thai

Once upon a time Jason and I had a favorite restaurant in the Twin Cities -- Big Bowl. There was an entrée we obsessed over at Big Bowl -- Pad Thai. Neither of us had prior exposure to such beautiful cuisine, but we became FAST Thai-food fans. Birthdays and anniversaries would certainly mean a trip to Big Bowl -- "quick, get out of your sweats, jump in the car and let's drool aaaall the way to Thai-food land!"

But when we moved to this rural world we had a bit of a problem. Where on earth would we get Thai food? Really, where?? Seriously, we are incredibly limited on restaurants here. So one year, on Jason's birthday, I got ambitious and, exploding with love for my husband, I set out to attempt our cherished entrée at home.

Seriously. Best. Decision.

We have never gone back. We can't go back... sorry Big Bowl. Pad Thai is quick, easy and inexpensive to make at home and I often have all the ingredients on-hand. Not to mention, we adore it JUST as much as the fancy-restaurant stuff. So, we kinda died to Big Bowl.

I'm really not trying to coerce you into ditching your financial support of Thai restaurants, but if you're a Pad Thai lover and aren't in the mood to spend $15-$20 per plate for great Pad Thai, here's an equally delicious option for you!

A couple notes on this recipe...

Use rice noodles if you can. Admission: I often have to use angel hair pasta, as photographed. Bummer, because we prefer rice noodles. But, surprise, our options here are limited and I can't find rice noodles nearby. If you're in the same conundrum, angel hair pasta will still taste fabulous. Just cook it al dente; if you're not ready to toss it into the wok right away run cold water over it so it stops cooking -- overcooked pasta is not the goal.

Fresh cilantro and bean sprouts are best, but call me a cheater. I've tried growing cilantro in our house before and it was an epic fail, so I just use dried cilantro -- it still tastes stupendous. I simply whisk it into the sauce ingredients. I also use canned bean sprouts. If you have easy access to fresh sprouts and highly prefer them, great. For me it's easier to get canned sprouts to store in our cupboard for whenever the Pad-Thai-crave takes over.

Sooo, to recap, once upon a time we went to Big Bowl every birthday or anniversary. Once upon a now, we dine-in, nestled into our dining room chairs, the table glistening with flickers of candle-light, blissfully savoring every bite of our homemade Pad Thai platter.

Or we chow down... in our sweats... in front of the TV. Mostly, the latter.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8

HOMEMADE PAD THAI

Prep time: appx. 30 minutes

Yield: About 4-6 servings

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked & shredded chicken (or shrimp)
• 6-8 oz. rice noodles
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 tbsp. brown sugar
• 3 tbsp. fish sauce
• 3 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. white vinegar
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp. dried cilantro
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 cloves crushed garlic
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 4 beaten eggs
• 1 15-16 oz. can bean sprouts (You can also use a handful of fresh bean sprouts)
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Cooking Directions

1. Boil 4 cups of water and remove from heat. Add rice noodles and let them soak for 3-5 min. They should be soft but firm, not mushy. Drain and rinse them with cold water.
2. In a small bowl mix lime juice, 1/3 cup water, brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, cayenne pepper, dried cilantro & 1 tbsp. olive oil.
3. In a wok or large skillet, heat remaining olive oil. Once hot, toss in the crushed garlic and 1/3 cup onion. Cook on high until starting to brown. Add the beaten eggs. Cook and stir until they are scrambled but still moist.
4. Stir in the noodles and sauce mixture. Cook appx. 1 minute or until the sauce begins to thicken.
5. Add the chicken/shrimp, bean sprouts, green onions and peanuts. Heat, constantly stirring, until noodles are tender.
6. Serve garnished with sliced green onions and chopped peanuts. If you choose to use fresh cilantro, add it here.