Pad Thai

My favorite prepared food booth at my farmers market is Moh's Mobile Kitchen.  My friend, Moh, makes the most delicious Thai food, and that's where I usually stop for lunch each Saturday.  The aroma of grilled beef and chicken sticks, Pad Thai, fried rice and spring rolls fills the air and by lunch time my mouth is watering for something hot and spicy from Moh's Kitchen.  Her Pad Thai is crazy good and it's my usual Saturday choice.  Customers are lined up when the market opens at 8:00 am to get their weekly fix of Moh's cooking.  

The market closes just before Thanksgiving so I usually have to suffer through the winter without my weekly fix.  But last November I found this wonderful, easy to prepare recipe for Pad Thai at Chez Loulou and now can survive the winter without suffering withdrawal from one of my favorite dishes.  I found all the ingredients at my local Asian market and can whip this up whenever I get the craving.  The only change I made to Loulou's recipe is adding more sugar to the sauce.  Moh's version is sweeter and that's what my taste buds prefer.

Pad Thai

8 ounces Thai rice noodles

8 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 ounces chicken breast, thinly sliced

4 ounces firm tofu, cut into bite sized pieces

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 eggs, lightly beaten

4 ounces bean sprouts

2 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped

Sauce:

1/3 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup tamarind concentrate

1/4 cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup)

2-4 teaspoons chili powder

Garnish:

2 ounces bean sprouts

1 lime, cut into wedges

1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped

In a large bowl, cover the noodles with plenty of cool water and let soak for 1 hours.  Drain.

Make the sauce by bringing the sauce ingredients to a gentle simmer on the stove.  Add chili powder, 1 teaspoon at a time, to get the degree of heat you like.  The sauce should be tangy, with a bit of sweetness and spiciness.  Adjust to your palate.

Heat oil in a large wok or frying pan until almost smoking.  Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add chicken and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add garlic and tofu along with a couple of tablespoons of the sauce.  Add shrimp and saute until shrimp is pink, about 2-3 minutes.  

Add the eggs and let them set for 10-15 seconds, then give them a quick stir with the other ingredients in the pan.  Add the drained noodles and most of the sauce and stir together.  It if seems too dry, add the rest of the sauce.

Add bean sprouts, green onions and peanuts and stir everything together.  Taste for seasoning. Add salt if necessary, and a bit of lime juice for extra zing.  Serve with garnish.

For more delicious recipes, wonderful photos and stories of her life in France I hope you will stop by to visit Chez Loulou.  You are in for a special treat.