The one and only, Pad Thai

Oh wow. It’s been three months since I posted. I knew it would be a challenge to post regularly but that’s a really long stretch of darkness. A lot has happened in those three months, though! To start with May and June had me in high demand with Ana’s end-of-the year stuff for school, dance, and music (I refuse to miss any of it!). We renovated our lil’ kitchen so we were without for a while there. I have been busy making art and working to get it out into the world (finally with some success!). We have been on a few glorious road trips (to Nelson, BC and the Okanagan), and had family visiting from Croatia (Miss you already Tatiana!) and the West Coast. With all that I just let thaifoodstory slide.

 

Each of those could potentially have a post of its’ own, which makes me wish I had maintained while in the midst of it all. I am determined to catch-up and keep it regular! Expanding it to be about more than just food will help me. I’m going to give it a go but for now… back to food.

Jack is sharing a recipe which I have tested with excellent results! It’s one of the most well known Thai dishes. Pad Thai is a tangy rice noodle dish which is surprisingly easy to make. It does have a lot of ingredients so getting those prepped in advance is key to making it stress-free to put together at meal time. I suggest washing and cutting the ingredients the night before. The tamarind paste can be dissolved in water 4 hours in advance and in the 2 hours before serving deep fry the tofu, cook the shrimp and put the bean sprouts to soak in a bowl of cool water.

 

Clockwise from left: Crushed peanuts, minced garlic, sliced shallots, peeled and deveined shrimp, cut garlic chives. Photo by Kerry and Tate Kaufman.

 

Bean sprouts soaking in water. Photo by Kerry and Tate Kaufman.

 

Deep fried cubed tofu. Photo by Kerry and Tate Kaufman.

 

 

Tamarind paste dissolved in water. Photo by Kerry and Tate Kaufman.

 

I have added photos of some ingredients to help identify them and show how to prepare them. The taste is best if you can source the exact items and not use replacements. Note that this recipe is for one serving. Double it for two and make no more than three in a large wok at one time. If more than three people are eating, make more batches. It’s really quick to cook and put together once all that prep is done.

Without further adieu….

Pad Thai Recipe

 

1 serving (can be made one to three servings at a time, depending on the size of your wok)

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. Canola or peanut oil for frying1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 heaping tsp. sliced shallot
• 2 Tbsp. deep fried, chopped firm tofu (Deep fry the whole brick, then cube)
• 4 shrimp, peeled and deveined (we leave the tails on as it looks better)
• 2 Tbsp. Soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. fish sauce
• 3 Tbsp. tamarind sauce (tamarind paste dissolved in water)
• 1 big handful of dry rice stick noodles
• a splash of water
• 1 Tbsp. white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp. crushed, unsalted peanuts
• 1 small handful of garlic chives cut into 2 inch lengths
• 1 handful of bean sprouts
• 1 lime wedge

Heat wok to maximum heat then lower to medium high. Add about a Tbsp. of oil and swirl around the pan. Add garlic and shallots, frying until golden. Add tofu and shrimp. Once shrimp are cooked through (about 1-2 minutes), remove them, setting aside. Add soy, tamarind and fish sauces. Add a handful of noodles and a splash of water. Mix well over medium high heat to soften. Add sugar and put the shrimp back in. Keep mixing well. Add one egg, mixing well. Add peanuts and chives, mix again. Add sprouts, mix and plate.

On the plate add small piles of peanuts, crushed chilies, white sugar, a lime wedge, more bean sprouts and tofu, if desired. Serve with chop sticks.

 

 

Kerry thought the white plate was not our best choice to highlight the food but here is how it was plated. Note the Garlic Chives – this is what they look like before chopping. We added some to our plate for eating as well as a slice of fresh banana flower for garnish. Photo by Kerry and Tate Kaufman.

 

I’d love to hear how yours turns out and am happy to answer any questions!

A big, huge thank you to Kerry, Will and Tate for their hard work with lighting, photography, and food testing and styling!