Pad Thai Redux

I know I've already posted a pad thai recipe, but after seeing this on Throwdown and hearing the rave reviews, I had to give it a try. I have good news and bad news.  The good news is this is unbelievable.  Seriously. Just like restaurant style pad thai if you like that sweet, sour and salty version, which I do.  This recipe knocked my socks off and I've had a lot of pad thai in my life. I'd say this even rivals the pad thai I had in Thailand...it was a Thai cook that Bobby challenged after all.  The bad news though, is that you have to make this sauce.

I grew up with fish sauce in the house and always on the table.  There are a bazillion brands to choose from in the asian store and I've never been able to tell the difference between brands--my choice is based solely on the fact that this brand is packaged in glass and not plastic. And despite the offputting smell, I actually really like fish sauce.  I put it on quite a bit of thai, and not so thai food.  That fish sauce aroma however, is something else.  I usually wait until the food is on my plate before adding fish sauce and almost never cook with it.  The smell of fish sauce can only be "enhanced" by simmering it in your house for an hour.   But for this recipe, simmer you must, until all the sauce ingredients come together in a syrupy, perfectly salty and sweet sauce. 

The only other two ingredients (besides a bit of table salt) in the sauce are palm sugar and tamarind juice.  Only three ingredients?  Yes, I was a doubter as well, which is why I had to try it out.  Three is all you need. Palm sugar can be found packaged in disks or in tubs.  I find that the tub hardens since I can't use it fast enough so now I just buy the disks.  They melt pretty easily in hot liquids.  Tamarind juice can be found in any asian grocer, and I believe, most mexican grocers. 

While fish sauce, tamarind and palm sugar do require a trip to an asian grocer, they all keep for a long time.  I think fish sauce has a half life of eternity.

Throwdown Pad Thai Sauce

• 1 cup tamarind juice, or 4 tbsp tamarind concentrate plus enough water to make 1 cup
• 4-5 disks of palm sugar ( or about 1 cup)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons salt

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan for about 60 minutes on medium until it is well mixed and syrupy. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

The noodles are a bit easier to find.  I usually pick up a small stock of them when I'm at the asian grocer but only because it's half the price there.  No trip to the asian store is required though because Thai Kitchen packages some and it's a relatively easy brand to find.

Once you have the sauce made and the noodles soaking, and the tofu and green onions cut, cooking the pad thai takes mere minutes.  And of course you can use chicken instead of tofu--after it's cooked through you can push it up on the side of the pan while you move onto the egg step.

And since you have the palm sugar out  you might as well finish it off your thai dinner with this traditional thai dessert.  While Sticky Rice and Mangoes can be made without palm sugar, my mind always jumps immediately to this dessert with just a tiny whiff of the sugar. I posted the recipe in this earlier post.

 

Tofu Pad Thai

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons garlic oil, plus extra as needed
• 1 cup cubed extra firm tofu
• 7 oz small or medium-size dried rice noodles soaked 20 minutes in hot tap water, drained and rinsed to remove excess starch
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 1 large egg, slightly scrambled
• 2-3 green onions sliced thin the long way
• 1-2 cups rinsed bean sprouts to preference
• 1/3 cup Pad Thai sauce
• 1-2 squirts Siracha sauce (optional)
• 2-3 tablespoons ground roasted peanuts
• 1 lime cut into wedges

Directions

Heat half of the oil in a wok over high
Add tofu and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden on all sides.
Push tofu to side, and add the remaining oil as well as the garlic.  Cook garlic for 30-60 seconds taking care not to let it turn brown (and bitter).  Add egg and gently scramble in pan.
Add the noodles. Add a little water, stirring a few times quickly to ensure noodles do not stick together. Add green onions, bean sprouts and Pad Thai sauce and stir until everything is thoroughly mixed. The noodles should appear soft and moist.

Add chiles, peanuts, garlic chives and bean sprouts. Mix well. Remove to a platter.
Serve with raw bean spouts, green onions, lime wedges and additional Siracha sauce if desired.