Well-Seasoned Cookbook

flavorful recipes perfected over time

Pad Thai

Sammy's variation of this recipe is the BEST, but I just haven't had time to go through and figure out what he changes in the recipe . . . . so here's the original recipe so we don't lose it and one of these days I'll get around to altering it to be the way Sammy makes it :-)

Source: https://www.thespruceeats.com/pad-thai-with-shrimp-3217145

Here's another recipe Sammy used at one point: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pad-thai-7112938

This pad Thai recipe comes to you direct from the eateries of Thailand. Many of you are discovering that tamarind paste—a traditional ingredient in pad thai—is difficult to find. Originally, pad thai was made without tamarind, hence this recipe made with lime juice instead of tamarind. This simple swap makes the pad Thai sauce easy to put together, and so much better than bottled or packaged pad Thai sauces, which can never give you the same taste as fresh.

Ingredients:

8 oz. pad Thai rice noodles, or enough for 2 people

12 to 15 small to medium raw shrimp (shells removed)

1 tbsp. soy sauce (use wheat-free for gluten-free diets)

3 to 4 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tsp. grated ginger

1 egg

2 to 3 cups bean sprouts

2 to 3 green onions (sliced)

A handful of fresh coriander/cilantro

1/3 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts (chopped)

2 to 3 tbsp. vegetable oil

1/3 cup strong chicken stock

3 tbsp. vinegar

1 tbsp. lime juice

4 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. fish sauce

1 tbsp. soy sauce (use wheat-free for gluten-free diets)

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Dunk in noodles and boil until they are limp but still firm and a little "crunchy" to taste. Rinse noodles thoroughly with cold water and set aside.  Noodles must be undercooked at this stage to achieve their sticky-chewy texture later when fried.

Toss shrimp in 1 tbsp. soy sauce and set aside. For the pad Thai sauce, combine ingredients in a cup, starting with 3 tbsp. sugar and increasing to 4 as needed. Taste-test for a tangy balance between sweet and sour. Set aside.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tbsp. oil and swirl around, then add garlic and ginger. Stir-fry 1 minute and add the shrimp. Stir-fry 2 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and plump. Push ingredients aside and drizzle a little more oil into the pan. Crack in the egg and stir-fry quickly to scramble (30 seconds).

Add noodles and drizzle over 1/3 of the pad Thai sauce. Using a gentle turning motion, stir-fry everything together. Add more sauce every 30 seconds to 1 minute until sauce is used up and noodles are sticky and chewy tasting ('al dente'—5 to 8 minutes).

Turn off heat. Fold in bean sprouts and green onion—taste-test, adding more fish sauce if not flavorful enough. If too salty or sweet, add a good squeeze of lime. Sprinkle the nuts and coriander on top. Thai chili sauce can be served on the side for those who like it extra spicy.

Tip: When making more than 8 oz. of noodles, double the pad Thai sauce. Avoid making more than 12 oz. of noodles at any one time, simply because it's hard to turn the noodles and get them cooked evenly without overcooking them.