pad thai
this recipe for pad thai is based on the one from Hot Thai Kitchen. i've modified it slightly, but not much -- this is a really good recipe. mostly i've adjusted it to my tastes and reformatted it into my tabular style. i suggest you look over the instructions in that recipe too, as they explain some stuff about ingredient selection nicely. if you're not familiar with stir frying you might also want to watch her video, but if you are, the technique is pretty obvious.
the recipe assumes you're using strongly flavored meat that takes a little while to cook, like chicken thighs. if you're using mild meat like shrimp, skip marinating. if you're using nonmeat protein like tofu, use your imagination.
yield: 2 large or 4 small servings
| instruction | amount | item | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| EARLY PREP | |||
| prepare | shallot oil and fried shallots | see below | |
| rehydrate | 125 g | rice noodles | in room temp water, 1 hr |
| marinate | 2 servings | meat in fish sauce | at least half an hour |
| SAUCE | |||
| caramelize | 35 g | palm sugar | until just slightly browned |
| add | 3 T | water | |
| simmer, stirring | until seized caramel dissolves | ||
| add | 3-4 T | tamarind paste | reconstitute from pulp |
| 3 T | fish sauce | use the good stuff! | |
| let rest | |||
| FOUR PREP BOWLS | |||
| :: tofu bowl | 3 oz | tofu, extra firm | in small pieces |
| 3 | garlic cloves | minced or smashed | |
| 1/4 c | shallots | finely chopped | |
| 3 T | sweet preserved radish | finely chopped | |
| 2 T | dried shrimp | finely chopped | |
| 1/2 --- 3/2 t | thai chili flake | ||
| :: egg bowl | 2 | eggs | lightly beaten |
| :: veg bowl | 120 g | bean sprouts | |
| 70 g | garlic chives | cut into 2in pieces | |
| 1/4 c | roasted peanuts | chopped roughly | |
| :: garnish bowl | bean sprouts | ||
| garlic chives | cut into narrow 2in batons | ||
| roasted peanuts | chopped roughly | ||
| fried shallots | see below | ||
| chili sugar | half thai chili flake, half brown sugar | ||
| lime | cut into wedges | ||
| STIR FRY | |||
| sear | marinated meat | remove to a dish | |
| saute | tofu bowl contents | until garlic slightly golden | |
| add and cook | noodles and sauce | until sauce fully absorbed | |
| check | add water if noodles not tender | ||
| add and cook | eggs | let noodles absorb a little runny egg | |
| add off heat | veg bowl contents | stir together off heat for a minute | |
| garnish and serve |
shallot oil
i really like to cook this dish with shallot (or scallion) oil. this step is optional, but encouraged. chop several (6-8 or so?) shallots across the grain into half rounds, then place into a cold pot. add enough vegetable (soybean or other neutral) oil to cover, then 50% more. simmer gently, low enough not to brown them, for at least half an hour, then increase heat just enough to get them brown but not burnt. separate the fried shallots from the oil with a strainer. makes about a cup of oil and plenty of fried shallots. use some of the oil to cook this recipe, and use some of the shallots as a garnish.