Pad Thai...

PAD THAI

Ingredients:

8 oz. (SERVES 2) Pad Thai rice noodles (thin, flat linguini-like noodles)
2 eggs (vegans can substitute 1/2 cup soft tofu - see instructions below*)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot (OR 1/4 cup purple onion), finely chopped
3-4 "heads" of baby bok choy, or other Chinese cabbage, roughly chopped
2 cups bean sprouts
2 green onions, sliced
1/3 cup fresh coriander/cilantro
1/4 cup ground (or well-chopped) peanuts (OR substitute cashews or slivered almonds)
PAD THAI SAUCE:
3/4 Tbsp. tamarind paste (available at Asian/East Indian food stores)
1/4 cup hot water
3+1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce (or gluten-free soy sauce)
1/2 to 2 tsp. chili sauce (to taste), OR 1-2 fresh red chilies, minced
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
OTHER:
3-4 Tbsp. oil for stir-frying
2-3 Tbsp. vegetable or faux chicken stock
lime wedges for serving
Preparation:

1.) Bring a pot of water to a boil and remove from heat. Soak noodles in the hot water for 6-10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Tip: Noodles are ready to drain when they are soft enough to eat, but still firm and a little bit "crunchy". The noodles will finish cooking when they are fried.
2.) Dissolve the tamarind paste in the hot water. Add the other pad thai sauce ingredients and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add as much or as little chili sauce as you prefer, but don't skimp on the sugar (you need it to balance the sourness of the tarmaind). Reserve.
3.) Place your wok (or large frying pan) over medium-high heat. Add 1-2 Tbsp. oil plus the garlic and shallot. Stir-fry 1 minute to release the fragrance.
Add the bok choy plus the stock. Stir-fry 2 minutes, or until bok choy is bright green and slightly softened.
4.) Push ingredients aside and add 1/2 Tbsp. more oil to the center of the wok/pan. Add the eggs (if using) and stir-fry briefly to scramble them.
5.) Push eggs aside and add a little more oil to the middle of the wok/pan. Now add the drained noodles and 1/3 of the sauce. Stir-fry everything together for 1 minute using 2 utensils and a tossing motion (like tossing a salad).
6.) Add a little more sauce and continue stir-frying in the same way for 1-2 more minutes, or until the noodles begin to soften and become sticky. Reduce heat to medium if noodles begin to stick and burn.
7.) Add the bean sprouts plus the remaining sauce. Stir-fry to incorporate everything together for 1-3 more minutes, or until noodles are done. Noodles are cooked to perfection when they are soft but still deliciously chewy and a little bit sticky.
8.) Remove from heat and taste-test, adding more vegetarian fish sauce or soy sauce if desired for more salt/flavor.
9.) To serve, scoop noodles onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with the green onion, coriander/cilantro, and ground nuts. Add wedges of fresh-cut lime on the side. Serve immediately and ENJOY!. (Thai chili sauce can also be served on the side for those who likes their noodles extra spicy).
If using soft tofu: add it when you add the noodles. It will break up into small bits and be distributed throughout the dish, just as the egg would.

The first Sunday of every month my church does a meal together where we choose a theme and then everyone brings a dish to share. This week is Thai cuisine and in light of my New Year's Resolution I decided I would try my hand at making Pad Thai. I did have some mild reservations at bringing a new dish to share with everyone, but I guess I threw caution to the wind because before I knew it I had quadrupled the recipe and had started the arduous task of chopping and mincing.

I have two main gripes.

The recipe states that for two servings it takes 15 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes of cook time. I do not normally care for foul language but I would like to call their bull sh*t on this one. This recipe took me two and a half hours to complete. I knew that because I was quadrupling the recipe that it would take longer than what the recipe stated, but I was not expecting it to take THAT long. Just note that when making this, especially if you are making it for more than 2 people, that your cook time multiplies.

The second gripe is more my fault than the recipe's fault. As previously stated, I quadrupled the recipe thinking that this would then create eight servings. That being said, I would like to see the size of the two people who this was originally for. As I prepared the noodles, I could not believe the sheer quantity. By the time that I finished adding all the ingredients to the wok, it was impossible to toss the ingredients (as instructed) without some of it being spilled. If I had the chance to do it over again, I would have prepared it in two small batches, rather than one large batch.

However, not all was lost. The recipe lived up to its five star recommendation and the husband has given it two thumbs up. Hope everyone at church likes it too! Speaking of which... I need to go get ready for.

Take care my friends and hopefully I will have some new exploits to talk with you about soon.

Ps... the picture above is MY final product--- can you tell that I'm proud?