Mother’s Day weekend here and I had taken out some shrimp last night from the freezer, left to defrost in our fridge. Was trying to decide what to do with them for supper tonight…when I remembered Pad Thai…has been awhile since I have made Pad Thai…found a new recipe that I had not tryed before, and it will definately be my go to recipe – turned out great!!
This recipe is courtesy of Mitchell Davis from a cookbook called Kitchen Sense (a great cookbook I might add). The only thing I changed was I added in some baby bok choy to the mixture and I used jumbo black tiger shrimp (probably more than 8 ounces) because that is what I had on hand I also like my Pad Thai topped with some fresh cilantro – so I added this in as well, but it is totally optional.
In his recipe book he calls this “Fraud Thai” due to the lack of totally authentic ingredients (substituting ketchup for tamarind, soybeans for fried tofu, etc) – but you likely will have no trouble finding these ingredients – and the taste is fantastic – so why not I say!
Serves 4
– 8 ounces dried rice noodles (rice sticks) about 1/4 inch wide size)
– 1 large egg
– 3 tbsp plus 1 teaspoon asian fish sauce
– 2 tbsp soy sauce
– 2 tbsp ketchup
– 1 tbsp hoisin
– 1 tbsp rice, cider or white vinegar
– 2 teaspoons garlic chili hot sauce
– 1/3 cup chicken stock or veg stock or water
– 3 tbsp peanut or vegtable oil
– 1/2 small white onion, thinly sliced
– 2 garlic cloves, minced
– 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
– 1 6 ounce chicken breast (boneless skinless) cut crosswise on the bias into thin strips
– 8 ounces peeled medium shrimp
– 1/4 cup frozen shelled edamame (soy beans)
– 1/2 cup bean sprouts
– 2-3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
– 2 tbsp peanuts (chopped)
– 1 lime cut into wedges
– 1-2 cups chopped baby bok choy
– cilantro (to garnish if desired)
I recomend that you prep all your ingredients before you start cooking.
Place the rice noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot tap water. Let sit for about 20 minutes to soften.
In a small bowl, beast the egg with 1 tsp of the fish sauce and set aside. In another small bowl, mix the remaining fish sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, hoisin, vinegar, chili sauce and stock. Set aside.
Heat a well-seasoned large cast iron frying pan or a wok over very high heat. Add 1 tbsp of the oil, and when it is very hot, pour in the egg. Cook the egg stirring to make a thin omelet (about 2 mins) remove the egg to a cutting board and let cool. Roll up the omelet and thinly slice it into strips, like fine noodles. Set aside
Return the wok or pan to the heat. Add the remaining 2 tbp oil and heat until almost smoking. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 2 mins. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute or so, until fragrant. Add the chicken and cook, stirring constantly until the chicken has turned opaque and is starting to brown (about 5 mins). Add the shrimp and the soybeans and cook tossing until the shrimp have curled, turned opaque white and are cooked through (about half way through the shrimp being cooked I tossed in the bok choy and let it wilt) – about 4 mins total. Removed everything to a plate and set aside.
Return pan to the heat. Add the soy sauce mixture and heat for a minute. Using tongs, lift the noodles out of their soaking water, and while still a bit wet, add them to the pan. Cook, stirring and tossing until the noodles soften and are evenly coated with the sauce (if you need a little more liquid add a bit more stock or water) about 5 minutes. Return the chicken and shrimp mixture along with your egg to the pan. When all the ingredients are heated through, plate serving with bean sprouts, scallions, cilantro and peanuts with a lime wedge on the side. Enjoy!
