Monday 2 February 2015

Pad Thai Noodles | How to make authentic pad thai chicken - veg noodles ?


After many days posting a Thai noodle  recipe namely PAD THAI

Pad Thai or phat Thai (Thai: ผัดไทย, RTGS: Phat Thai, ISO p̄hạdịthy,  [pʰàt tʰāj] ( listen), "fried Thai style") is stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food and at casual local eateries in Thailand. 







It is made with soaked dried rice noodles, which are stir-fried with eggs and chopped firm tofu, and flavored with tamarind pulp, fish sauce (Thai: Nam pla น้ำปลา), dried shrimp, garlic or shallots, red chili pepper and palm sugar, and served with lime wedges and often chopped roast peanuts.
It may also contain other vegetables like bean sprouts, garlic chives, coriander leaves, pickled radishes or turnips (Thai: Hua Chai Po หัวไชโป๊), and raw banana flowers. 
It may also contain fresh shrimp, crab, chicken or another protein. 

For vegetarian version of pad thai you may substitute soy sauce for the fish sauce and omit the chicken & add veggies of your choice like coloured capsicums ,corns,mushrooms,sprouted moong,cabbage carrot etc




Ingredients

1 packet Thai rice noodles (or enough for 2 people)
8-10 , one inch chopped chicken breast or thigh

Marinade for Chicken:
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chopped lemon grass
1 tbsp red chilli flakes / red chilli paste


Other ingredients
1/4 cup carrots sliced
1/4 cup purpla cabbage sliced
3 cups fresh bean sprouts
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup fresh coriander/cilantro
1/3 cup crushed or roughly chopped peanuts (or other nuts, such as cashews)
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp chopped lemongrass
2-3 garlic cloves chopped
vegetable oil for stir-frying, and wedges of lime

PAD THAI SAUCE:

3/4 Tbsp. tamarind paste dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water or 1/3 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp. fish sauce, + more to taste (vegetarians can use soya sauce instead of fish sauce)
1-3 tsp. red chili sauce, or substitute 1/2 tsp. or more dried crushed chili or cayenne ( You can substitute with red chilli paste  with 4-5 dry red chillies - deseeded and ground with 1 tbsp water)
to a paste with 1 tbsp water
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. ground white pepper




Method :


1.Boil 8-10 cups water with and 1 tbsp oil. Add noodles to boiling water. Boil for 2 minutes.Remove from heat. Cover the noodles and let them be in hot water for about 5 minutes or till soft. Strain. Rinse in cold water.Drain and keep aside in the strainer for all the water to drain out. Sprinkle 1 tbsp oil on the noodles and spread in a tray.

2.Make the sauce by combining sauce ingredients together in a cup. Stir well to dissolve tamarind and brown sugar, and set aside.












 Note: this may seem like a lot of sugar, but you need it to balance out the sourness of the tamarind - this balance is what makes Pad Thai taste so amazing!

3.Place chicken slices in a small bowl. Stir together the marinade and pour over chicken. Stir well and set aside for atleast 30 minutes.




4.Warm up a kadhai or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1-2 Tbsp ,now stir fry the chicken till done & keep aside


5.In same pan add more oil if required next add garlic and minced chili, if using. Stir-fry until fragrant (30 seconds).


6.Add the bean sprouts ,cabbage ,carrot and and continue frying 1 more minute .Now add the noodles, and pour the Pad Thai sauce over. Using two utensils, use a gentle "lift and turn" method to fry noodles (like tossing a salad). Stir-fry in this way 1-2 minutes. If you find your wok/frying pan too dry, push noodles aside and add a little more oil to the bottom of the pan. now add pad thai sauce & mix well




7.Taste-test for seasoning, adding more fish sauce OR PAD THAI SAUCE until desired flavor is reached . Toss well to incorporate.




8.Lift noodles onto a serving plate. Top with generous amounts of fresh coriander, spring onion, and crushed/chopped nuts. Add fresh lime wedges to squeeze over each portion ENJOY!



Tips :

1.Although today we associate pad Thai sauce with tamarind, you can replace tamarind paste with  a combination of rice vinegar and lime juice. 
Traditionally (several hundred years ago), pad Thai was made in just this way - without tamarind - and versions of this original formula can still be found in various regions of Thailand. This particular recipe was taught to me by a local Thai chef in south-western Thailand, and I have found it to be one of my favorites. Hope you like it too.

2.I had used normal veggie noodles as i was in hurry to make thai noodles

3.You can even add scrambled egg to above recipe


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