Pad Thai

Over the years, especially the twelve I spent in Seattle, I have most definitely eaten my weight in Pad Thai. Well, probably more than my weight, if I'm totally honest.

My favorite was from Tup Tim Thai on lower Queen Anne. Their Pad Thai was spicy, sinfully slick with flavorful oil, and chock-full of broccoli, shrimp, tofu, eggs, bean sprouts and green onions. It was so unbelievably good, I could easily polish off an entire order in one sitting.

Since moving to rural France we've been severely deprived of Asian and Indian food. There's a serious dearth of any kind of restaurant other than French around here.
Not that we don't love the local French cuisine: tapenade, paté, duck in its many preparations, Cassoulet, goat cheese salads, brandade de morue, gigot d'agneau, etc. But variety is the spice of life and sometimes we need a little variety. And a little spice!
(and we can only spend so much time in places like Cognac and Paris trying to quench our Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean and Indian food cravings)

So I've learned to make my own versions of the take out food that we love and miss so desperately - Indian and Thai curries, Chinese food, even pizza.

Pad Thai is one dish that I've tried to make from time to time, but was never really pleased with the results. Until now.


My Pad Thai is a mélange of four different recipes that I've gleaned from cookbooks and from the Internet. It is loaded with flavor and isn't greasy, which I find many recipes for this dish are. It can be as spicy as you like and can be enjoyed with shrimp and chicken or packed full of vegetables and tofu for a fresh vegetarian version, like the one pictured above.


Pad Thai
serves 2-3 as a main course

• 8 ounces Thai rice noodles
• 8 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined
  
• 4 ounces thinly sliced chicken breast
• 4 ounces firm tofu, cut into bite sized strips
  
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  
• 2 garlic cloves, 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, finely chopped
  

For the sauce

• 1/3 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 cup tamarind concentrate (some brands require diluting the concentrate in water, so please read the label)
  
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (or 1/3 cup palm sugar)
  
• 2-4 teaspoons chili powder

for the garnish

• 2 ounces bean sprouts
• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
• 1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped

1. In a large bowl, cover the noodles with plenty of cool water and let soak for 1 hour. Drain.
2. 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 it to your palate.
3. Heat oil in a large wok or frying pan until almost smoking. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Add chicken, if using, and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add garlic and tofu along with a couple of tablespoons of the sauce and the shrimp, if using, and sauté until shrimp is pink, about 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the eggs and let them set for 10-15 seconds, then give them a quick stir with the other ingredients in the pan.
7. Add the drained noodles and most of the sauce, and stir together. If it seems too dry, add the rest of the sauce.
8. Add the bean sprouts, the green onions and the peanuts and stir everything together.
9. Taste for seasoning. Sometimes I add a bit of lime juice for extra zing at this point.
10. Serve with the garnish.
    

*A note about tamarind* (from Chez Pim)
"You can buy tamarind in blocks or readymade pulp that comes in plastic or glass containers (see the photo above). If you can't find a local market that carries tamarind you can order it online. If you buy readymade pulp, check to make sure that the ingredients only contain tamarind and water, no sugar or anything else. If you buy block tamarind, soak the block in 4 cups of hot water in a large bowl. Mesh the tamarind and water together and let sit until the water cool down enough not to burn your hands. Stick your hands -your impeccably clean hands as Julia Child would say- into the bowl and work the tamarind and water together until the consistency is a bit looser than room-temperature ketchup. Add more warm water if needed. Then, strain the mixture to remove the pits and tough membranes from the tamarind pulp. The consistency will be thick enough that you'd need to press it through the strainer. Use as much as you need for the Pad Thai sauce and keep the rest in a glass jar in your fridge. You'll have tamarind pulp handy for a long time." Pin It

Tapas

There's a group of eight of us that get together every so often to cook and eat and enjoy each other's company. It started as a once a month curry night and has evolved into a whenever-we-can-get-our-schedules-coordinated ethnic night. Thus far, we've had the original Indian curry night, a fabulous Turkish evening, a Mexican night with killer Margaritas and a super, spicy Thai supper.
For our next get together, the first we've had since December (yes it is strangely difficult to get eight people together for dinner) we're making a big assortment of Spanish tapas. And I think (and hope) that someone is making a big pitcher of sangria to enjoy with them!

My contribution includes a chickpea salad, a vegetable coca (like a tart) and patatas bravas.

Chickpea Salad
recipe taken from Euroresidentes.com

• 1/2 kg chickpeas
• hard boiled eggs
• 4 red peppers (pimientos del piquillo)
• small bunch of spring onions
• 1 small clove of garlic
• 1 large tomato
• fresh parsley
• extra virgin olive oil
• white wine vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 50g cured ham

1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas (if using dried chickpeas soak overnight and then boil the next day in a pressure cooker for 10 mins or boil for 1 hour 10 mins in a pan)
2. Prepare the tomato by blanching it and removing the skin and pips following this cut it into small cubes and place in a bowl
3. Add the red peppers to the tomato (if you can´t find the spanish pimientos del piquillo you will need to roast the red peppers for about 20 mins and then remove the skin and cut into strips)
4. Cut the cured ham into small squares and add to the bowl.
   
5. Dress with extra virgin olive oil and white wine vinegar over and season with salt and pepper
6. Add the chickpeas to the salad mixture
7. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve

Vegetable Coca
recipe taken from Tienda.com
serves 4

for the dough:

• ¾ cup water, hand hot
• a pinch of sugar
• 1½ teaspoon dried yeast
• 9 oz strong plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lard

for the topping

• 9 oz chard or spinach, shredded
• 9 oz spinach, shredded
• ½ bunch spring onions, cut into 4 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp pimentón
• salt
• 1 tomato, skinned, seeded, and chopped

1. Mix 1/2 cup of the water, the sugar, and the yeast and leave for about 10 minutes until a frothy head forms.
2. Mix the flour, salt, yeast mixture, oil, and lard, and add just enough of the remaining water to mix to a soft, pliable dough.
3. Knead well for about 10 minutes, then place in an oiled plastic bag and leave in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, put the chard and spinach in a saucepan with a small amount of salted water, bring to a boil and simmer for 4 minutes. Let sit for 3 minutes then drain, squeezing out the excess water.
5. Add the spring onions, parsley, garlic, and oil. Season with paprika and salt and blend well.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
7. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick and curl up the edges to make a border.
8. Place on a greased baking tray and spread the vegetables over the dough, sprinkle with tomato, season with salt, and bake for 30 to 50 minutes.

From Spain on a Plate by María José Sevilla

I'll be making a few changes to the above recipe. For one, I don't have chard so will use only spinach and I'm replacing the lard with the equivalent amount of olive oil.



I'm still hunting for the perfect patatas bravas recipe. Pin It

Top 100 - 86 Through 90

86. Phad Prik Moo (pork with red chili sauce). A super easy, quick dish that is full of crunchy vegetables and nice and spicy. I found the recipe in Simply Thai Cooking by Wandee Young and Byron Ayanoglu.

Pork With Red Chili Sauce

10 ounces trimmed pork tenderloin
1/2 medium green pepper
6 long green beans
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 cup water
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup bamboo shoot strips
20 whole fresh basil leaves
strips of red pepper
2 1/2 cups freshly steamed rice

1. Slice tenderloin into strips that are 1/4 inch thick, 2 inch long and about 1 inch wide. If you find it difficult to cut thinly through fresh meat, leave it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden slightly, and then slice. Reserve.
2. Cut pepper into 1 inch squares. Trim ends of long beans and then chop into 1 inch pieces. Reserve peppers and beans together.
3. Heat oil in a wok (or large frying pan) until it is just about to smoke. Lower the heat and add garlic and curry paste and stir fry for 45 seconds. Immediately add water and raise heat to maximum. Stir-cook for 1 minute and add fish sauce and sugar. Stir-cook for 2 minutes, until the sauce is smooth and bubbling.
4. Add reserved pork and stir-cook for 2 minutes. Add reserved peppers and long beans, as well as the bamboo shoot strips, and stir-cook for 4-5 minutes, until everything appears to be cooked and the sauce has thickened somewhat. Add 3/4 of the basil leaves and stir into the sauce. Take off the fire and transfer to a serving dish. Top with some red pepper strips and the rest of the basil leaves. Serve immediately, accompanied by steamed rice.
Serves 4

87. The Fried Shrimp Po' Boy. I order it undressed because I don't like mayonnaise, but then pour on lots of Crystal hot sauce. A dressed po' boy comes with mayo, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. The shrimp are sweet and firm with a hot, crunchy coating. I like them at Elizabeth's, with a side order of praline bacon. (because the fried shrimp just aren't fattening enough!)

88. A French Market Bag. We use them at the grocery store and outdoor markets, for carrying wine and food to friend's houses and they're perfect to take to the beach.



89. Roasted Red Peppers. I like them marinated in olive oil and garlic, on sandwiches, in tarts or quiches, on salads and mixed with scrambled eggs. Making you own is easy, even if you don't have a gas stove.
Turn on your oven's broiler, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and roast the peppers about 6 inches from the broiler, turning them as the skin starts to blister and blacken. Once they are all roasted, take them out of the oven, wrap them up tightly in the foil and cover the bundle with a kitchen towel and leave to steam, about 20-30 minutes. When they're cool enough to handle, slip the skins off and remove the stem and seeds, but never under running water! Even though it makes the process easier, the flavor goes down the drain with the skin. Tear the flesh into strips and either eat that day or cover in olive oil and keep in the fridge for several days.

90. Dooky Chase's Restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana. Until August 29, 2005, chef Leah Chase had been serving up some of the best Creole food in the city. Hurricane Katrina flooded the restaurant, but I read that she planned to reopen on January 6, on her 84th birthday. I remember her gumbo and fried chicken were the best I've ever had!

2301 Orleans Ave
New Orleans, LA
(504) 821-0535 Pin It