Long Lost Pad Thai
MAIN DISH / FISH
Contributed by Avery Berman
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
High-Resolution and Ultra-High Field NeuroImaging Laboratory
Servings: 2-3
This is a really easy dish to whip up in a short amount of time (under an hour). Add as much of the proteins (shrimp and tofu) as you like. I like
this dish extra saucy so I usually mix a larger portion of the fish sauce, sugar, vinegar and chilies together ahead of time and can add more while
cooking and after serving. I usually use raw peanuts for the garnish but the original recipe suggests cooking them in the oil before cooking the
onions.
Ingredients
1/2 lime
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot (or 1/2 onion), minced
4 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp ground chili pepper or flakes
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp tamarind (or white vinegar)
1/2 pack Thai rice noodle sticks
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 - 1/2 lb shrimp (thawed if frozen, tails removed if desired)
1/3 cup extra-firm tofu, cut into strips about 1/3-inch wide
1 egg
2 handfuls of sliced green onion
2 handfuls of bean sprouts peanuts
Method
1. Soak noodles in lukewarm water until flexible, but not mushy, while
preparing the other ingredients.
2. Rinse bean sprouts, put aside half. Put a wok or large pan on high heat and
heat the vegetable oil.
3. Add shallot, garlic, and tofu and stir occasionally until brown. Noodles
should be flexible but not expanded fully. Drain them then add them to the
wok.
4. Add vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, and chili pepper. Stir and keep the heat high.
You will see a lot of juice in the pan if the heat is not high enough.
5. Crack the egg into the wok and scramble then fold into the noodles. Add
shrimp and stir. Add half of the bean sprouts and half the green onions, stir
a few more times until shrimp is fully cooked.
6. Dish noodles out into bowls, squeeze lime on the dish and garnish with
peanuts and remaining sprouts and green onion.
This recipe originated somewhere on the internet
back in the fall of 2010. I had just moved to
Montreal to start grad school and I didn't have
internet set up at my apartment yet (and
definitely no smartphone). I went to the local
library to find a Pad Thai recipe, but it was
closed, so I called a friend and she read off the
ingredients and instructions for the top recipe
she found.
Sitting on a bench outside the library, I wrote the
recipe down on a sheet of loose-leaf and have
dragged that sheet around with me from
Montreal to Calgary to Boston for the last nearly
10 years! Afraid of either physically losing it or it
losing its legibility due to oil and vinegar spills,
now I can have a digital copy and so can you!
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