My obsession with pad thai started out innocently enough. My friend India and I wanted to go get sushi one night. So we went to Lili's on 57th, which they call "Asian Cuisine and Sushi Bar". If you like Asian food I highly recommend going here if you are in the city. It is super fresh and the variety of food on the menu is overwhelming.
Anywhoo, India and I are ravenous and checking out the menu for which rolls we want (which is silly because we always get spicy tuna of some kind) and we decide we want some noodles to go with it. So we order some pad thai. I took one bite and decided it was my new favorite food. And from that day on, India and I would go to Lili's at least once a week and order spicy tuna rolls and pad thai. And lived happily ever after. The end.
Just kidding!
I finally mustered up some courage to try my hand at pad thai one drizzly night. I couldn't find rice noodles in my grocery store (which was poor planning because there are several other grocery stores I could have tried at), so I used whole wheat linguini noodles. I also didn't include shrimp, because, saddly, I am allergic. Actually, not that sad, shrimp is too fishy for me. And I added some broccoli because its delicious. And please don't forget/leave out the lime juice. It really gives the dish the final kick it needs! And we all want a final kick, right?
This was a very basic pad thai recipe, but sure did the trick for me. Even with the whole wheat noodles, which definitely made it a bit heavier, the asian flavors definitely shined through! Which was exactly what I was looking for. I was slightly nervous to use fish sauce because it just sounds gross, but I persevered and it was worth it!
Pad Thai from Family Fun
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the noodles and turn off the heat. Let them stand for 10 minutes, using tongs or two forks to separate the strands as they soften and turn from translucent ivory to white. Drain the noodles, rinse them well in cold water, and drain again. Set them aside. If using linguini noodles, cook as directed on package until slightly underdone.
In a small bowl, stir together the Asian fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce, water, and chili flakes if desired, until the sugar dissolves and everything is well mixed. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the egg and scramble it as it cooks just until it is no longer runny, about 30 seconds. Transfer the egg to a plate.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and swirl it around. Add the garlic and toss well. Add the chicken and cook it until the edges have mostly changed color, about 1 minute. Toss it well and continue cooking to brown it, about 30 seconds, then push it to the sides. Add the carrot and broccoli and cook everything about 1 minute. Scoop the chicken, broccoli, and carrot into a bowl, leaving as much oil as possible in the pan.
Swirl the last tablespoon of oil in the pan. When it's hot, add the noodles, spreading them to the edges. Cook for 1 minute, until the oil sizzles. Scoop up the noodles and turn them over in a big mass. Cook them another minute, then turn them again.
Pour the sauce mixture around the sides of the pan. When it sizzles, place the cooked chicken, carrot and broccoli on the noodles, along with the bean sprouts, scallions, and cooked egg. Gently scoop the noodles from the bottom and turn them over. Continue tossing them to mix in the chicken, carrot, broccoli and egg. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the lime juice and toss the noodles well. Serve the Pad Thai hot or warm. Serves 4.
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