Pad Thai

Recipe donated by Beth Sinclair. This is a dish I learned to make when Nicky, our Thai exchange student, lived with us. The only way to make it is by taste so the amounts listed are guidelines. I often make a double batch so we have leftovers because it’s even better the next day when all of the flavors are mixed together well. People LOVE this dish, and it’s a good one to take for a potluck dinner with friends.

ingredients

1 box or bag of rice noodles(use the thicker ones)
1-2 Tblsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. of chopped chicken or can use small shrimp
1 Tblsp chopped garlic
2-3 eggs lightly beaten
2-4 oz of fried bean curd(tofu) cut into small slivers or chunks(trust me-nobody will know it’s in the dish and it’s healthy)
chili flakes(depends on how much spice you want)
1/4 cup chives cut into small pieces
8 oz container of mushrooms
8 oz bean sprouts
2-4 oz roasted peanuts, coarsely ground
1 tsp sugar
dark low sodium soy sauce(to taste)
oyster sauce(to taste)
2 1/2-3 limes(to taste)
Can add some shredded carrot if want more veggies.

directions

1
1. Soak noodles in very hot water for at least 1/2 hour. Drain.
2
2. Heat oil in wok or large pot. Add garlic and fry until golden. Add meat or shrimp and cook. At this point I add a little bit of the chili flakes, some lime juice, and soy sauce to flavor meat. If adding mushrooms and carrots, add at this point. Set aside.
3
3. In another pan heat a little oil and add eggs. Scramble them and break into small pieces.
4
4. Add oil to pan and stir fry tofu. Add a little bit of dried chili flakes. Add noodles and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add in chives, beansprouts, peanuts, sugar, meat/veggie mixture, and eggs. At this point start adding soy sauce, limes, chili flakes, and oyster sauce to taste. This all becomes personal preference, but you must mix everything together really well so that the noodles absorb the flavors. You don’t want the noodles to taste like rice noodles so they really need to absorb lime and soy sauce. I use tongs to really mix it well. Sometimes I even add more peanuts to get the right taste.

Source: Beth Sinclair