Pad Thai

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Hi Loves.

I’ve mentioned before growing up in Thailand made Thai food a staple in my diet and today I’m sharing the recipe for one of favourite comfort dishes: Pad Thai! I absolutely love Pad Thai! It’s something that is easy to make and everyone is guaranteed to fall in love with it. The multiple flavours within the dish comes together to hit your palate/taste buds all at once – it’s sweet, sour, savoury and spicy! Like most dishes, it tastes different at a restaurant vs when you make it at home. Growing up I loved the Pad Thai in restaurants but I also loved my mom’s version of the dish. As I started cooking I’ve made variations and created my own version of the recipe!

I’ve written the recipe in a lot of detail and I also filmed the making of this Pad Thai. I suggest you read the recipe and just watch the video to see how things should look! Including the video at the end!

Ingredients:

Rice Noodles (flat + medium size)
Garlic cloves 4-5 (Minced)
Moon sprouts (If moong sprouts aren’t available near you you can grow them at home! https://www.seriouseats.com/2011/04/how-to-grow-bean-sprouts-in-a-jar-slideshow.html)
Green onions (Long strips)
Sugar (1 tbsp)
Jaggery (1/4^th cup)
Soy Sauce (4 tbsp)
Water 1 cup
Tamarind concentrate or pulp (3 tbsp)
Crushed peanuts (Roasted)
Lime Juice
Tofu (Extra Firm – cut into small cubes)
Red Chili flakes

Start with soaking the rice noodles in room temperature water for 30 – 60 minutes, then drain the water out at let the noodles sit for about 10 minutes (Noodles will not soften a 100% like pasta but that’s okay they will later on)
Please do not use warm/hot water otherwise your noodles will turn mushy when you Sauté them! If you are in a hurry then soak them in warm water but keep an eye that they don’t become too soft!

The Pad Thai Sauce:

I like to make the sauce before I start the Sautéeing process so it’s easy and I can taste it before it mixes in with the noodles! Mix together the: jaggery, sugar, water, tamarind concentrate, and soy sauce together in a microwave bowl or pot! Either microwave for about 40 seconds on high and mix or heat the mixture on a stove until everything melts and become one! This makes about 1.5 cups of sauce which so make the adjustments according to how much pad thai you’re making! In my experience the taste really depends on your exact ingredients e.g. some soy sauce may be saltier than others or some tamarind concentrate/paste might be stronger! SO make the adjustments according to your taste! You want the taste of the sauce to be tangy, sweet, and salty.

Tofu:

The tofu used in Pad Thai is on the crisper side! I like using the ‘extra firm’ tofu or this other extra firm tofu I got at the local Asian store! Ideally, you want to squeeze all the water out of the tofu before you use it! I either like to sautee the tofu in the work till all the water releases and it becomes crispy or nowadays I just air fry it!

Sautéing:

Add some oil in a work or deep pan, once hot add in the minced garlic and sauté till light brown
Add in the noodles you soaked earlier and sauté for a few seconds
Add in the Pad Thai sauce (You want the noodles to slightly drown in the sauce and keep mixing for a few minutes and let the noodles soak in 90% of the liquid)
Add in the chopped green onions
Add in the Tofu (Which you either air-fried/sauteed earlier)
Add in the moong sprouts
Add in the Crushed peanuts (desired quantity)
Squeeze some lime juice
Taste! (Very important and add in any of the sauce ingredients/lime/crushed peanuts you feel you need!
Enjoy your delicious Pad thai! 🙂