I can't get enough of Asian noodle dishes. Unfortunately, we have no Thai or Vietnamese restaurants in my small town, so I've had to learn how to make Pad Thai and Pho for myself (Pho recipe coming soon). It also doesn't help that my husband won't eat anything that originated east of Europe. So on the occasional night when I tell him he's on his own for dinner (which usually results in him eating a few handfuls of peanuts) I will indulge in one of my favorite Asian recipes, like this one.
Ingredients: rice noodles, brown sugar, white vinegar, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, red pepper, dried shrimp (yes, you can find this at Wal-mart...see details below), canola oil, shallot, garlic, shrimp, scallions, peanuts, lime and cilantro.
*Note: Traditional Pad Thai has more vegetables in it. I like to keep it simple and so I leave them out. However I have written the recipe as is at the bottom of this post for those of you like the fresh veggies.
Believe it or not, you can actually buy dried shrimp at your local small town Wal-mart. It is in the Latin foods section with all of the Mexican spices (which by the way - if you have never browsed the Mexican spice section, you are seriously missing out!).
Soak the noodles in warm water for about 20 minutes or so, until they are soft.
Drain them and set aside.
To make the sauce, combine water, brown sugar, vinegar, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey and red pepper in a sauce pan.
Let it simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until it has reduced and thickened to an almost syrupy consistency.
Remove it from the heat and add the dried shrimp. Let that cool and thicken even more.
Meanwhile, rub some shrimp with canola oil and season with salt and pepper.
Toss them into a hot skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side.
Until they are orange and opaque. Set them aside.
Mince some garlic and shallots.
And stir fry them for a couple of minutes.
Then add the sauce to the skillet and once it begins to bubble add the noodles.
Toss it all together and add the shrimp and some scallions.
Plate it up with some chopped peanuts, fresh cilantro, hot chile sauce, more scallions and lime.
It's not quite the same as getting it at a real Thai restaurant, but it is a delicious substitute! Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get your Asian food fix when you're livin in the boonies ;)
Copy and paste this into Word for a printable recipe:
Pad Thai
serves 4-6
8 oz. dried rice noodles
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
3 tbsp. white vinegar
3 tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp. honey
pinch of dried red chile pepper
4 oz. string beans, thinly sliced
4 oz. sugar snap peas, halved
2 tbsp. canola oil
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 c. fresh bean sprouts
3 scallions, sliced
chopped dry roasted peanuts
lime
fresh cilantro
Soak the noodles in a large bowl of warm water for 20 minutes, or until softened; drain well. Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar, vinegar, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey and red pepper in a small saucepan. Simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add the dried shrimp. Set aside.
Cover and bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the string beans and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the sugar snap peas and continue cooking for 30 seconds. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and stir fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the sugar mixture and reduce heat to the lowest possible setting.
In another large nonstick skillet, cook the shrimp over medium-high heat, 2-3 minutes per side. Meanwhile, add the noddles, a quarter of the bean sprouts and half the scallions to the hot shallot mixture. Raise the heat to high and boil, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp, string beans, and sugar snap peas, and stir for 1 minute more. Garnish with peanuts, remaining scallions, lime quarters, cilantro and bean sprouts.
Source: Martha Stewart
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