Pad Thai Noodles

[Stinky The Clown]

I got this recipe, pretty much as written, from the Baltimore Sun, maybe 15 or 20 years ago. Actually, maybe even longer ago than that. maybe even 30 years. Anyway, it is probably the only recipe I can name that I still follow as it was written. I can not recommend this one any higher.

PAD THAI NOODLES

1/2 lb Dried Rice Noodles 1/8 or 1/4 inch wide
1/2 lb Shrimp, peeled and deveined (or chicken, or pork)

1/4 C Fish sauce
1/4 C plus 2 T sugar
1/4 C plus 2 T white vinegar

1 t paprika or 1 T tomato paste or 1 T ketchup (all are optional and for color only)

1 small bunch green onions

1/4 to 1/2 C peanut oil

2 cloves finely chopped garlic (or more, to taste)

2 eggs

3/4 lb bean sprouts (fresh preferred)

3/4 C chopped peanuts (unsalted preferred)

red chili flakes

Lime wedges

1. Soak the noodles in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly before adding them, later.

2. Mix the fish sauce, sugar and vinegar. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Set aside.

3. Slice the onions into 1-1/2 inch pieces. Set aside

4. Heat your wok very hot. Add garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds or so until golden.

5. Add the shrimp and stir fry very hot until about 3/4 cooked cooked.

6. Add the drained noodles and toss to coat with oil.

7. Add the liquid mixture and allow to boil. Keep tossing the noodles until all the liquid is absorbed (2 – 3 minutes).

8. Lift the noodles and break one egg, breaking the yolk. Cover with noodles. Repeat with second egg. All the eggs to cook undisturbed until set and almost dry.

9. Break the eggs up and toss into the noodles.

10. Add the onions and beat sprouts, tossing to combine. Cook, tossing, until wilted but still crisp-tender.

11. Pour into serving bowl. Sprinkle peanuts on top. Garnish with lime wedges and serve.

[Tab]

1. What kind of lime?

Thai has a particular kind of lime they tend to use - the name is escaping me at the moment - is that what kind you mean, or is it an "American" lime?

On edit, it's a Kaffir Lime, isn't it? I'm not exactly sure where to get them, but I think that's what they're called.

[Stinky The Clown]

8. The recipe never distinguished.

We have always sued regular (as you say) "American" limes.

Sparkly adds the lime to hers. I don't. I add a LOT of Sriracha.

[Tab]

16. Pretty sure it was a Kaffir Lime

American limes would be too strong; Kaffir's are delicate, cook well, and lend themselves well to asian food, and I've had them mainly only in Thai cuisine, but I find them in Thai cuisine a lot. Not sure where to buy them - presumably an ethnic Thai grocery store, but I've never seen them in a traditional supermarket. That said, the Thai population where I live isn't particularly huge (if it exists at all) so just because I can't find it in MY store doesn't mean a store serving a more diverse population won't have them. But the more I think about it, a Kaffir Lime is what you're looking for.

[Tab]

18. Yeah, this is the puppy

Kaffir lime is used extensively in Thai cooking. Both the zest and leaves are very useful. The fruit looks like wrinkled lime, big wrinkles. Thai people believed the juice is excellent hair rinse to prevent hair from falling out. The zest of the lime is an ingredient in red curry paste.

The juice is rarely used in Thai cooking, but the zest is common.

Recently, Thai growers have developed and started growing a kaffir lime without wrinkles that is easier to pack and ship around the world.

It's much more "gentle" than regular limes, at least when cooked.

[Stinky The Clown]

19. In the recipe I cited, the juice is simplpy squeezed onto the finished dish

The limes are not cooked in this instance.

[bicentennial_baby]

2. Very nice, bookmarking

:)

[Lucinda]

3. Excellent! Thanks.

We've been looking for a good Pad Thai.
I can't do the shellfish or peanuts, but I'll try wit with the chicken & macadamias or cashews.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. I've done this with both chicken and pork, too. It is really, really good.

I'd suggest you try it without substituting the nuts. More than once we've made it only to discover halfway through doing our mise en place that we had no peanuts.

While we always try to do it with both lime and peanuts, the reality is they're really both kinda optional.

[Lucinda]

10. I'm deathy allergic to peanuts. Which sucks.

I love peanuts. :(
It's just become a serious problem over the last 10 years. I was reading a piece not long ago that was theorizing that increasing peanut allergies were some sort of mass delusion :eyes: - the authors wouldn't say that if they ever stopped breathing. It is weird though. Does seem to be more common these days.

I think i'd like the crunch that the nuts add. But flavor-wise, I agree, it would probably be fine without them.

[Stinky The Clown]

11. Trust me on this .....

.... you won't miss the peanuts in this. They're more a textural thing than a flavor thing. Even if you added them, there are lots of forkfuls without them .... so really .... no biggie to just leave them out.

[Lucinda]

12. I will. It sounds great. We'll probably give it a try this week!

[Stinky The Clown]

13. One Sparkly's nieces has peanut allergies

They're nothing to joke about. She has to keep a syringe of atropine (I think that's what it is) with her at all times.

[NashVegas]

4. Oh Um

Gotta try this. Thanks.

[grasswire]

5. TV killed fish sauce for me.

After I watched the fermentation process in big pots in the hot sun....I just can't do it anymore.

I'll try it without that, because it sounds wow!

[troubleinwinter]

6. See now...

ya have just made me more inclined to experiment with fish sauce!

Fermenting.... mmmm.... beer.... sour dough.... sour poi... ancient thousand year old food preserving methods... special flavors...mmmm.....

[hippywife]

7. One of my favorite meals

of all times. I will definitely try this recipe the next time I make it. Thanx, Stinks! :hi:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

14. This looks classic........

No wonder it's endured, and why on earth would you change anything? It's easier to fix pad thai than most people think.

I throw shredded carrots in mine, and usually skip the peanuts, which aren't a staple in this house.

I was just looking over recipes for Drunken Noodles a while ago. Must be a Thai noodle night, hmmmm?

But I just saw that chicken leg quarters - my favorite - are on sale at Harris Teeter this week for THIRTY-SEVEN CENTS A POUND!!!!

I shall be feeding the freezer..........

[sandnsea]

15. My daughter loves this

She's got a birthday coming up, I think I'll try it and surprise her. It looks fairly straight-forward, even though it's got a lot of steps. Anybody can do this as long as they pay attention, right?

[Stinky The Clown]

17. Right!

There are a lot of steps, but it is really one foot in front of the other.

This is the only recipe that I prefer to have a helper do with me. The helper (Sparkly, of course) just needs to stand there are read the recipe and prompt me what to do next. As many times as I have made this, I **still** need that help.

[Puglover]

20. Yup

That's a good Pad Thai recipe. To the person who wants to leave out the fish sauce..........DON'T. It simply will not taste 1/4 as good. As nasty as fish sauce it it adds depth and is absolutely essential to this dish.

[hippywife]

21. I went and got Pad Thai

for lunch yesterday after reading this. It wasn't very good, tho. Gotta make my shopping list to include the ingredients to make it myself, which I have only done once before.

[hippywife]

22. We're gonna have this for dinner

sometime this week. I'll probably make it without any meat or shrimp, tho. Trying to think what extra veggie to add to it in place of the meat. Or I could just marinate some organic tofu.

[hippywife]

23. Eating this now...

and it is truly awesome. :9

[Stinky The Clown]

24. I'm glad you like it!

Did you substitute anything for the meat?

[hippywife]

25. I did use

toad-food (tofu). I cut it in very small, thin squares and marinated it in the fridge most of the day in a little fish sauce, rice vinegar, and five spice powder. I think that made the final dish a little too salty but it was still delicious. I used sunflower kernels instead of peanuts because that's what I had. Pad Thai is one of my faves.

Thanx for sharing the recipe. It's a keeper. :hi: