Phad Thai is to Thai food, what spaghetti and meatballs are to Italian food in America.
It is hands down the most popular noodle dish coming from Thailand.
This recipe may have alot of ingredients but is so worth the little extra prep time. Proper Phad Thai noodle are called Rice Sticks which are linguini sized rice noodles. Rice Sticks are not thin vermicelli noodles, or extra wide noodles like you would get in the dish Phad See Eew. You of course can substitute these noodles, but the best noodles for Phad Thai are Rice Sticks. These noodles, like almost all dishes with rice noodles, do not get boiled or cooked before adding to your pan with the other ingredients. Instead, they get soaked in cool water for about 45 minutes and should be started first when you make this dish.
The best way to prepare this recipe, just like any recipe, is read through recipe first, then have all of your ingredients gathered, sliced, prepped, and ready to be used because once you start cooking, you are adding things together quickly. Chirpy loves to add vegetables to dishes even if they are not traditionally in the recipe, just to add some nutrition and deliciousness! In this version of Phad Thai, mushrooms, zucchini and onions are included, but you can use without or add your fav vegetable. It's important to have all ingredients ready before you start cooking because once you start cooking, you want to keep the ingredients moving or 'STIR FRYING' in your pan so nothing burns or sticks to pan.
This recipe serves 2 large portions.
8 oz. Thai Rice Stick Noodles
1/4 Cup Tamarind PUPL with 1/4 Cup Water, OR - 4 Tbsp. pre made Tamarind PASTE
3 Tbsp. Fish Sauce (Nam Pla)
2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Lime Juice
2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste or Ketchup (OPTIONAL) This gives dish a red color.
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
5 oz. Chicken Breast - boneless skinless
10 ea. Shrimp - Medium or Large - shelled and deveined
2 ea. Eggs
2 tsp. Garlic - chopped
4 oz. Fried or Firm Tofu
1/4 Cup Sweet Onion - optional
5 ea. Crimini or White Mushrooms - optional
1 ea. Zucchini - Medium Size - optional
2 ea. Scallions
1 Cup Bean Sprouts
1/4 Cup Cilantro - chopped.
5 Tbsp. Peanuts - finely chopped or course ground.
Red Pepper Flakes - add to your personal taste
4 ea. Lime Wedges from 1 lime
Soak the noodles in a large bowl with cool water for at least 45 minutes.
If using Tamarind Pulp with 1/4 Cup Water to make your own PASTE, then soak the pulp in the water in a small bowl for 20 minutes.
If using already made Tamarind PASTE, just set aside until you need it.
Mix together the Fish Sauce, Sugar, Lime Juice, and Tomato Paste or Ketchup and set aside.
Slice the Chicken Breast into thin slices.
Optional - Slice the Shrimp in half lengthwise to get more pieces or use whole Shrimp.
Chop the Garlic, set aside.
Cut the Tofu into small cubes.
Slice the Onions, Mushrooms, and Zucchini into thin slices if using these veg.
Cut the scallions into small 1/4-inch slices, set aside to add after noodles are cooked.
Clean and chop the Cilantro.
Chop the Peanuts into very small pieces or pulse in a small food processor.
Clean and set the Bean Sprouts aside.
(If Making the Tamarind Paste from Pulp) - After 20 min. mash the Tamarind PULP in the water with fingers to make a dark mixture. You can strain this or just remove pods from mix. You should have about 5 Tbsp. Tamarind PASTE left. Add this to the fish sauce, sugar, lime juice,(tomato, if used) and mix together. If using pre-made Tamarind PASTE, add 4 Tbsp. to your fish sauce mixture. Premade Tamarind Paste can be more concentrated.
Heat oil in a large pan or wok over med. high heat. You want a very hot pan, but not smoking.
If using these vegetables, add the onions, zucchini and mushrooms and sear for 2 minutes stirring constantly, or just start with the chicken.
Add the chicken and stir fry with vegetables for 1 minute.
Add the Shrimp, Tofu, and Garlic at this time, continue to stir fry for another minute.
Move food to one side of pan, break 2 Eggs into pan, and scramble while cooking, then stir eggs into the rest of ingredients.
Add the Tamarind, Fish Sauce, Sugar, Lime Juice mixture into the pan and stir fry into other ingredients.
Drain the noodles and add to the pan, folding the noodles into other ingredients while cooking them for 2 - 3 minutes. If you want to add a Tbsp or 2 of water to create steam and cook the noodles more do so at this point. Noodle will soften and cook. Keep stir frying.
Add Red Pepper Flakes to create the heat you like, if you like no heat, skip this step.
Add most of the cilantro, scallions, 2/3 of the peanuts, 2/3 Bean Sprouts, and stir fry 30 seconds more.
Remove noodles from heat, transfer to serving bowls, top with the remaining cilantro, scallions, peanuts, bean sprouts, and a couple lime wedges.
ENJOY!! You did it! You Made Phad Thai! A dish totally worth the effort.
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