Pad Thai

How I was introduced to the fabulous Thai cuisine.

The very first time I tried the famous 'Pad Thai' was at a Thai restaurant in Tampa Florida exactly 10 years ago.New to Thai cuisine I had no clue about what to order or what to expect.I had decided to go with a beef curry with coconut milk , that is when I saw the customer at the next table being served Pad Thai.When it was my turn to order I just told them that I wanted what that guy at the next table ordered.That was my first encounter with the Shrimp Pad Thai...I have been hooked ever since.

This is best eaten as soon as it is made . measurements are for 2 servings.

Ingredients:-

Thick rice noodles - I used 2 hand fulls from the pack a little less than 1/2 pack
Eggs - 2
Shrimp - 6 cleaned
Beef/Chicken - a four ounce piece (vegetarians can use tofu instead).
Spring onion - 2
Onion - 1 medium
crushed peanuts - 2 tsp
garlic chopped fine - 2 cloves
Shallots chopped fine - 2

For the sauce - mix together 2.5 tsp soy sauce,1 tsp fish sauce, tamarind paste and palm sugar(I substituted the tamarind paste and palm sugar with 2 spoons of Korean BBQ sauce which has Pear fruit puree and molasses in it) and some sambal olek or the hot sirracha chilly garlic sauce ,if you don't have it you could use crushed dry red pepper.

Preparing the noodles: follow package directions or soak in hot water for 5 minutes and then rinse to remove the starch and keep aside.

Method:-
Use one pan for every step of the cooking process.
Stir fry the meat with some of the sauce on a hot pan and keep aside .
In the same pan stir fry the shrimp with sauce and keep aside.
scramble the egg and keep it aside.
Then into the same pan pour in some oil and add the garlic and shallots and fry until translucent.Add the sliced Onions and spring onions and stir for a minute .

Pour in the prepared sauce and bring to a boil ( all the cooking is done on a high flame so things happen fast ) then add in the soaked noodles and stir and adjust seasonings , add in the stir fried meat and egg . It should be a perfect balance of spicy,sweet,salty and sourness.

My personal preference is to reduce the sweetness and have the spice stand out. Serve garnished with crushed peanuts, spring onions and beansprouts(I didn't have any on hand)

TIP: Use a wide pan , the widest you have. Lots of surface area gets the cooking done faster and also prevents the noodles from getting sticky.