Cooking Light Magazine Pad Thai Food

PAD THAI

Steps:

• For the Pad Thai Sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the fish sauce, sugar, tamarind paste, lime juice, vinegar, paprika and chili sauce. Set aside.
• For the Pad Thai: Soak the noodles in enough warm water to cover for 1 hour.
• If using, cut the banana leaf into round shapes using an overturned bowl. Place on the serving platter and hold for plating.
• Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add the oil and coat the skillet completely. When the skillet starts to smoke, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 seconds. Add the tofu and dried shrimp and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Push ingredients in the skillet to one side and let the oil settle in the center of skillet. Crack the eggs into the oil and let set until half-cooked, about 30 seconds, then lightly scramble. Combine with the remaining cooked ingredients in the skillet, scraping the bits from the bottom before they burn. Add 3 cups of the drained noodles and cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve the noodle soaking water.
• Add the salted turnip and shrimp. Cook until both the chicken and shrimp are at medium doneness, about 1 minute. Add the sauce and fold together until all the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes.
• Place half of the bean sprouts, half of the crushed peanuts and the garlic chives (or scallions) in the center of noodles, and then spoon some noodles over them to cover and let steam for 30 seconds. If the skillet seems dry, add a small amount of the noodle soaking water. Transfer to a serving plate with the banana leaf circle, and garnish with the remaining bean sprouts, peanuts and lime.

COOKING LIGHT MAGAZINE PAD THAI

Steps:

• Soak tamarind paste in 3/4 cup boiling water for about 10 minutes, then push it through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds and fibers and extract as much pulp as possible. Stir fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, cayenne, and 2 tablespoons oil into tamarind liquid and set aside.
• Cover rice sticks with hot tap water in large bowl; soak until softened, pliable, and limp but not fully tender, about 20 minutes. Drain noodles and set aside. Beat eggs and 1/8 teaspoon salt in small bowl; set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet (preferably nonstick) over high heat until just beginning to smoke, about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and sprinkle with remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt; cook, tossing occasionally, until shrimp are opaque and browned about the edges, about 3 minutes. Transfer shrimp to plate and set aside.
• Off heat, add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet and swirl to coat; add garlic and shallot, set skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until light golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes; add eggs to skillet and stir vigorously with wooden spoon until scrambled and barely moist, about 20 seconds. Add noodles, dried shrimp, and salted radish (if using) to eggs; toss with 2 wooden spoons to combine. Pour fish sauce mixture over noodles, increase heat to high, and cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are evenly coated. Scatter 1/4 cup peanuts, bean sprouts, all but 1/4 cup scallions, and cooked shrimp over noodles; continue to cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are tender, about 2 1/2 minutes (if not yet tender add 2 tablespoons water to skillet and continue to cook until tender).
• Transfer noodles to serving platter, sprinkle with remaining scallions, 2 tablespoons peanuts, and cilantro; serve immediately, passing lime wedges separately.

AUTHENTIC PAD THAI

Steps:

• Soak the noodles in warm water for about 20 mins until softened but with plenty of bite, then drain. Meanwhile, mix together the tamarind paste, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice until the sugar dissolves. Season with a pinch of chilli powder if you like it spicy. Can be made up to two weeks ahead and kept in the fridge. If you make pad Thai regularly, double the quantity and keep half.
• Heat half the oil in a frying pan and cook the tofu on each side until golden. Add the prawns and fry until they just start to turn pink. Tip the noodles into the pan and drizzle over the tamarind mixture with about 5 tbsp of water. Stir everything together and cook over a high heat for 3 mins until the noodles are just cooked. Add a splash more water if needed.
• When the sauce has reduced, scatter over the beansprouts and fold them into the noodles. Push everything to one side of the pan, then pour in the rest of the oil on the empty side and crack in the eggs. Fry for 2 mins until the white is just set and beginning to crisp around the edges, then roughly scramble the runny yolks in with the whites. When the eggs have just set, combine with the noodles.
• Scatter over half of the peanuts, half the spring onion and all the turnip, and quickly toss together. Divide between two plates with the remaining peanuts, spring onion, chilli powder, lime wedges and soy sauce on the side, to garnish as preferred.