Chicken Pad Thai

We traveled to Thailand over a year ago now, and it was truly one of the best trips I've ever taken. While abroad, we've started taking local cooking classes. These classes have been just a fabulous way to immerse yourself in the country's cuisine and learn more about local ingredients and classic cooking techniques.

I've always loved Thai food - stir-fried noodles, curries, mango sticky rice. But I've always struggled to find recipes that rival take-out. Fortunately, I came back from Thailand with a suitcase full of recipe books and ingredients, and a bunch of hands-on experiences!

The next time you're craving Pad Thai, give this recipe a whirl. Similar to some of the curry recipes I've previously posted, the key is quality ingredients. Pay a visit to your local Asian market and pick up a jar of palm sugar and tamarind paste. You'll also want to look for pickled radish. The combination of these ingredients with a splash of fish sauce and crushed peanuts are the foundation for a salty, sour Pad Thai sauce.

You'll also want to ensure all the meats and veggies are prepped and ready to go before you fire up the wok! Stir fry comes together oober quickly, so you want to prepare yourself to simply dump and stir.

Pad Thai

Ingredients

· 6-8oz rice noodles

· 1 tbsp hot water

· 2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar

· 4 tsp fish sauce

· 2 tbsp tamarind paste

· 1 tsp sriracha

· 1 tbsp dehydrated peanut butter powder

· 2 tbsp pickled radish, minced

· 2 tbsp canola oil

· 3 cloves garlic, minced

· 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced very thin

· 1 egg, scrambled

· 4oz extra firm tofu, diced

· 4 scallions, chopped in 1-in pieces

· 1 cup raw bean sprouts

· 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped

· ¼ cup cilantro, chopped

· 1 lime, cut into wedges

Ensure all ingredients are prepped in advance.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the dry rice noodles in a large bowl. Pour over the boil water. Allow the noodles to soften for 5-6 minutes. Periodically stir and separate the noodles. Drain the noodles and set aside.

While the noodles soften, pour 1 tbsp hot water over the palm sugar in a small measuring cup. Allow the sugar to dissolve and form a paste. Whisk in the fish sauce, tamarind paste, sriracha, peanut butter powder, and picked radish. Set aside.

Heat the oil over medium low heat in a large wok or deep skillet. Add the garlic. Sautee until fragrant. Raise the heat to high. Stir fry the chicken. Once the chicken is cooked through – no longer pink – add the scrambled egg. Continue to stir the contents of the wok. Add the tofu. Fry for about 1 minute.

Add the noodles and sauce. Fry for about 1 minute tossing the noodles in the sauce. Add the veggies. Fry for another 30-45 seconds and remove from the heat.

Garnish with chopped peanuts, cilantro and wedges of lime.

Serves 2

Notes

You can substitute the chicken for peeled and deveined shrimp. Cook the shrimp on high heat for about 3 minutes or until the shrimp just turn pink.

It’s important the noodles are very al dente before adding to the wok. They will continue to cook in the wok and you want to avoid the noodles becoming mushy.

Gluten Free Friendly!

Double check the nutrition labels on the fish sauce and tamarind paste to ensure no cross-contamination with gluten.