Thai Noodles Pad Thai Food

PAD THAI (THAI STIR-FRIED NOODLES)

Steps:

• Boil noodles until just soft (do not overcook).
• Drain water and place noodles in separate bowl.
• Meanwhile, heat 3 Tbsp oil in wok on high heat.
• Add garlic, shallots, oyster sauce, chicken and stir-fry until cooked.
• Move mixture to 1/2 of wok and add eggs on empty 1/2 of wok.
• Cook eggs.
• Mix eggs and chicken.
• Add noodles, fish sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, black pepper and brown sugar, stirring quickly so that noodles do not stick together.
• Stir in bean sprouts, green onion and peanuts.
• Garnish with fresh cilantro and a quick squeeze of lime juice.
• Serve immediately, with Pad Thai sauce, as desired.

PAD THAI NOODLES

Steps:

• Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside until noodles are flexible but still firm, about 10 minutes. Drain.
• Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to smoke. Add oil; heat until it shimmers. Add peanuts; cook and stir until roasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from wok.
• Stir chile peppers, shallot, and garlic into the oil; cook and stir until garlic just begins to brown, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and tofu; cook until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 4 to 5 minutes. Add noodles, stirring quickly to mix in and prevent them from sticking. Add sugar, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and white pepper together; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
• Push noodle mixture to one side of the wok; crack egg into the empty space. Stir until scrambled, 1 to 2 minutes; fold into noodles. Stir in shrimp; cook until opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Add roasted peanuts, bean sprouts, chives, and lime juice; cook and stir until flavors combine, 1 to 2 minutes more.

STIR-FRIED THAI NOODLES: PAD THAI

Steps:

• Soak the dried rice noodles in cool or lukewarm water for 30 minutes, or until they're limp but still firm to the touch; later cooking in the wok will soften them more. Drain the noodles thoroughly in a colander and set aside while preparing the other ingredients.
• In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, tamarind juice, and sugar; stir well to melt the sugar. Taste and adjust flavors to the desired combination of salty, sour, and sweet.
• Heat a wok over medium-high heat until it is smoking hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and quickly stir-fry the shrimp until they turn pink and are almost cooked through; 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the shrimp to a plate and cover to keep warm.
• Add the remaining oil to the wok and toss in the garlic, shallots, and chile; stir-fry for 30 seconds. Push the garlic and shallots to 1 side of the wok and pour the egg into the center. Scramble the egg lightly until set, breaking it up into pieces with a spatula. Add the drained noodles to the wok, stirring and tossing quickly with 2 spatulas to separate the strands. Pour in the fish sauce mixture, tossing well to coat the noodles and keep them from sticking (if the noodles are still too firm, drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to help them cook.)
• When the noodles are in good shape, toss in 1/2 of the bean sprouts and peanuts; save the remaining for garnish. Continue to stir-fry, to combine. Return the shrimp to the wok and toss the pad thai together to warm everything through. Serve the pad thai on a platter, pile the remaining bean sprouts and peanuts on 1 side of the dish and garnish with the lime wedges and cilantro. Squeeze lime juice over each portion before eating.

THAI NOODLES (PAD THAI)

Steps:

• Soak rice noodles in warm water for 20 - 25 minutes - they should be soft but not mushy; they will soften when they are cooked in the liquid.
• (prepare accordingly depending on your choice)Peel and deveign the shrimp, leave the tails intact - cut the chicken and/or pork into 1/8 inch x 1 inch pieces.
• Mix together fish sauce, sugar, vinegar and tomato puree until sugar is dissolved, set aside.
• Slice the scallions on the diagonal 1/4 inch thick, set aside.
• Heat a wok and add the oil, then stirfry the meat and garlic - when meat is cooked (no longer pink) add the drained noodles and quickly stir to coat with oil - quickly add the sauce and stir carefully to avoid breaking the noodles.
• Move the noodles to the side and add eggs - let them set a bit then break them up and continue to stir fry - add additional oil if necessary to keep noodles from sticking- continue to toss until eggs are nicely distributed.
• Add 3/4 Cup peanuts, bean sprouts and scallions - toss.
• Remove to serving platter, garnish with 1/4 Cup ground peanuts, sprinkle with the chili flakes and serve with lime wedges to squeeze over the top.

PAD THAI

Steps:

• Place the tamarind paste in the boiling water and set aside while preparing the other ingredients.
• Combine the fish sauce, palm sugar, and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.
• Place the rice stick noodles in a mixing bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Once the other ingredients are measured out into separate bowls, drain the water from the noodles and set them aside. Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch wide strips, similar to French fries.
• Press the tamarind paste through a fine mesh strainer and add to the sauce. Stir to combine.
• Place a wok over high heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil. Heat until it shimmers, then add the tofu. Cook the tofu until golden brown, moving constantly, for no longer than 1 minute. Remove the tofu from the pan to a small bowl and set aside.
• If necessary, add some more peanut oil to the pan and heat until shimmering. Add 2/3 of the scallions and then the garlic, cook for 10 to 15 seconds. Add the eggs to the pan; once the eggs begin to set up, about 15 to 20 seconds, stir to scramble. Add the remaining ingredients in the following order and toss after each addition: noodles, sauce, cabbage, shrimp, and 2/3 of the bean sprouts and peanuts. Toss everything until heated through, but no longer than 1 to 2 minutes total. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the remaining scallions, bean sprouts, and peanuts. Serve immediately with the ground chile peppers and lime wedges.
• Wrap the tofu firmly in a tea towel. Place the wrapped tofu into an 8-inch cake pan. Top with another cake pan and weigh down with a 5-pound weight. (Bags of dried beans or grains work well.) Place in refrigerator and press for 12 to 15 hours.
• Place pressed tofu in a 2-cup container. Combine soy sauce and five-spice powder and pour over tofu. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, turning once. Remove the tofu from the marinade and use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days.

AUTHENTIC PAD THAI NOODLES

Steps:

• Soak rice vermicelli noodles in a bowl filled with hot water until softened, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drain and set aside.
• Heat peanut oil over medium heat in a large wok.
• Cook and stir tofu in the wok, turning the pieces until they are golden on all sides.
• Remove tofu with a slotted spoon and drain on plate lined with paper towels.
• Pour all but 1 tablespoon of used oil from the wok into a small bowl; it will be used again in a later step.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the wok over medium heat until it starts to sizzle.
• Pour in beaten egg and lightly toss in the hot oil to scramble the egg.
• Remove egg from the wok and set aside.
• Pour reserved peanut oil in the small bowl back into the wok.
• Toss garlic and drained noodles in wok until they are coated with oil.
• Stir in vegetable broth, lime juice, soy sauce, and sugar. Toss and gently push noodles around the pan to coat with sauce.
• Gently mix in tofu, scrambled egg, salt, chili flakes, and 3 tablespoons peanuts; toss to mix all ingredients.
• Mix in bean sprouts and green onions, reserving about 1 tablespoon of each for garnish. Cook and stir until bean sprouts have softened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Arrange noodles on a warm serving platter and garnish with 3 tablespoons peanuts and reserved bean sprouts and green onions. Place lime wedges around the edges of the platter.

PAD THAI NOODLES

Steps:

• Soak dried rice sticks in large bowl of warm water until just tender, about 1 hour. Drain rice sticks well.
• Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add shrimp; stir-fry until pink and opaque in center, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate. Add tofu, radishes, and paprika to skillet; stir-fry until tofu browns, about 2 minutes. Add egg; stir until set, breaking up with spoon, about 1 minute. Add drained rice sticks, mung bean sprouts, green onions, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar. Stir-fry until heated through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to serving dish. Top with chopped peanuts. Serve with lime wedges.
• *Thai rice sticks (flat, dried Thai noodles) and fish sauce (nam pla) are available at Asian markets.