Recipe - Pad Thai (Thai Noodles)

One half pound Dried rice noodles; 1/8 inch
wide
Warm water
One half pound Shrimp; chicken, pork, or a
combination
One fourth cup Fish sauce
One fourth cup Granulated sugar
2 tablespoon Sugar
One fourth cup White vinegar
2 tablespoon White vinegar
1 teaspoon Paprika or
1 tablespoon Tomato paste
4 Green onions
Vegetable oil for frying; at
least One half cup
2 Cloves garlic; finely
chopped
2 Eggs
Three fourths pound Mung bean sprouts
2 tablespoon Ground roasted chilies
Three fourths cup Ground roasted unsalted
peanuts
Lime wedges

1 Soak the noodles for 2025 minutes in enough warm water to cover, until
flexible but not so soft as to be easily mashed with the fingers. (They
will soften more when cooked later.) Drain in a colandar.

2. Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails intact, or slice the
chicken or pork across the grain into strips 1/8 inch thick and 12 inches
long.

3. Mix the fish sauce, sugar, vinegar (and optional paprika/tomato paste/
catsup) in a bowl, stir until the sugar is dissolved, and set aside.

4. Slice the green onions (green and white parts) diagonally into pieces 1
One half inch long and One fourth inch thick.

5. Heat a wok, add One half cup of oil, add the garlic and stirfry until
golden. Add the meat and stirfry until cooked (for chicken or pork, until
the pink color disappears; for shrimp, until it turns pink). Add the
noodles and toss lightly to coat them with oil and to mix well.

6. Add the fish sauce mixture and bring to a boil rapidly, gently folding
the noodles without breaking them. Reduce the heat to medium and continue
to boil, folding frequently, until the noodles have absorbed the liquid.

7. Lift the noodles gently from one side of the wok. Pour in a little oil,
break 1 egg, and slip it in the oil. Break the yolk, and cover the egg with
the noodles immediately. Repeat this on the opposite side of the wok with
the remaining egg. Allow the eggs to cook undisturbed, over moderate heat,
until they are set and almost dry. Additional oil may be added if the eggs
or the noodles begin to stick to the wok. (See Tips below.)

When the eggs are set and almost dry, fold them gently but rapidly into the
noodles. Try not to break the noodles, which will be soft and fragile at
this point.

Add the bean sprouts and cut or sliced up green onions and toss the entire mixture
quickly and gently, without breaking the noodles. Cook about 2 minutes, or
until the sprouts and green onions are tender but still crisp.

Place on a warm platter. Sprinkle ground chilies and peanuts over the top
and squeeze lime juice over that, or serve garnishes separately.

Notes: Traditionally the noodles are left as fulllength strands, but may
be cut into shorter lengths for easier stirfrying.

Recipe by: Thai HomeCooking From Kamolmal's Kitchen, by William Crawf

Posted to recipeludigest Volume 01 Number 416 by RecipeLu
recipelu@geocities.com on Dec 30, 1997