Pad Thai

I am a huge fan of Thai cuisine! Thai cooking is all about beautiful colors and balancing different flavors. Every bite is like a surprise because you can taste a little bit of sweetness, some tang and then you are hit with a spicy kick. You can taste all those flavor in the popular dish, Pad Thai. My mom use to work at Thai restaurant many years ago. She would always bring home leftover and it's usually Pad Thai. I eat this stuff all the time but since my parents never really eat out I thought it would be nice to prepare some for dinner.

My version of Pad Thai is base on an episode of Good Eats with Alton Brown and my five senses when I order this dish many time at different restaurants. Since we ran out of tamarind concentrate I tried out a ready to use sauce bought at the local supermarket called Thai Kitchen. This dish is made literally by tossing in different ingredients together so I suggest you prep everything before cooking. Have everything within arm reach at the stove so you are always ready to add a little of this and a little of that. Pad Thai is such a versatile dish because you can try it with so many different meat like chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp. Have fun cooking this dish and be creative!







Ingredients:

2 Strip of Boneless Chicken Breast/Thigh
1 Pack of Flat Rice Noodle (Vietnamese Banh Pho)
Ready To Use Pad Thai Sauce
Sugar
Salt
Fish Sauce
Soy Sauce
Minced Garlic
Minced Shallot
Eggs
Sliced Yellow Onion
Sliced Green Onions
Julienned Carrots
Bean Sprouts
Lime
Dry Pepper Flakes
Chilli Paste



1. Soak Banh Pho in hot water until it's flexible but still hard to eat, about 10 minutes. If you soak it too long it will break when you stir fry it later. It's always better to under soak because you can fix that when you stir fry it. Remove from water and let it drain in colander.


2. Cut chicken breasts/thighs into thin strips and marinade with salt, sugar, 1 tbspoon of soy sauce, 1 tbspoon of pad thai sauce, minced garlic, mince shallots, and dry pepper flakes. Let chicken marinade for about 15-30 minutes.


3. Heat up some cooking oil in a wok/pot and stir fry the chicken strips. Half way into the cooking process add the sliced yellow onions. When the chicken strips are fully cook, remove from pot and save for later use.


4. In the same pot or pan, add more cooking oil, garlic, and shallots. Don't let the garlic and shallot sit too long because it will burn. Add the banh pho noodle and coat it the oil so it doesn't stick to the pot/wok. Add fish sauce for taste and and 1 cup of pad thai sauce. Continue to stir fry the noodle until it soften. If the noodle is still hard, add some water and cover the pot/wok. The steam action should soften the noodle.


5. Beat two eggs and add it right into the pot and continue to stir fry.

6. Add the chicken strips back in a long with the green onions. Stir in some pepper flakes and chili paste for some heat.


7. When the noodle fully cook and ready to eat toss noodle with carrots and bean sprouts.

8. Add a little lime juice and crushed peanuts before serving.