Pad Thai

I don't know about you, dear reader, but when I see something advertised as "pleasantly funky," hoo boy, I'm the first one to line up. (Is there anything better than "pleasantly funky" cheese? No.) I've been wanting to attempt Pad Thai for a while now, and when I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit--from Pok Pok overlord Andy Ricker, no less--I knew I had to give it a try. And I'm glad I did. You should too.

The best thing about this is that it tastes like Pad Thai. I know that that's sort of the point, but I'm sure you've encountered the sensation of trying to recreate a favorite eat-out dish at home and having it just not be quite as great as you experience in a restaurant or by someone who has grown up cooking the cuisine (this happens to me a lot with the Indian food I try to make). But this Pad Thai, pleasantly sweet and sour and peanut-y and complex, is just as good, if not better, than anything I've tried out at a restaurant. It's going to take me a couple more tries to get it completely perfect, but it was extremely satisfying and well worth the effort of hunting down the extra ingredients (for me, it was the spiced radish, the tamarind and the noodles.) Besides, who doesn't love making a day of it and going to explore nearby Asian grocery stores? We found so much amazing stuff--my good friend Katrina found a mayonnaise-sized jar of coconut oil for six dollars. You cannot make this stuff up.

Don't be afraid of the tamarind or the radish; their weirdness is lost in the overall melange, I promise. Also, in the Bon Appetit article Ricker specifically states (actually, I rather imagine him haughtily sniffing) that there is "no chicken" in his super-authentic Pad Thai recipe. Well, you know what? My friend Todd, who came over with Katrina for dinner, is allergic to shellfish so instead I poached a few chicken breasts in broth, garlic, ginger and lime and it was awesome. So go where your heart tells you, dear reader. Just throw in some good friends, good beer and some board games and you've got yourself one heck of a fun night.

Pad Thai (Adapted from Bon Appetit)

(serves 2)

For Chicken:

2 chicken breasts

4 cups chicken broth

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger

juice of 1/2 lime (see below

For noodles: 

5 ounces pad thai rice noodles 

3 tablespoons vegetable oil  

1 large egg, room temperature  

1/2 cup small cubes of firm tofu

1 tablespoon sweet preserved shredded radish, rinsed, chopped into 1" pieces  

1 cup bean sprouts 

5 tablespoons tamarind water, or 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon tamarind paste mixed with 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon water  *When we made this it still looked pretty paste-y, so don't be alarmed if yours isn't "water"*

1 1/2 tablespoons (or more) Thai fish sauce (nam pla)  

1 1/2 tablespoons simple syrup (ratio of 1:1 sugar to water, boiled together and cooled)

4 spring onions or chives 2 cut into 1" pieces  

1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper  

2 tablespoons well-chopped roasted, unsalted peanuts, divided 

1 lime divided in half, one half cut into two wedges, the other kept whole for juicing (See above)

Combine all poaching ingredients except chicken in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken and poach, 10 minutes or so, depending on the thickness of the chicken. Check often so that the chicken doesn't get overcooked. After the chicken is done, chop or shred into small pieces.

 

Place noodles in a large bowl; pour boiling water over to cover. Let soak until tender but not mushy, 5–10 minutes. Drain; set aside. (I had a bit of trouble with this step and felt my noodles came out too overcooked. You may want to practice ahead of time to hone your technique. I recommend checking out this page: how to cook rice noodles)

Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add egg; stir until barely set, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook roughly 1 minute. Add tofu and radish; cook for 30 seconds. Add noodles and cook for 1 minute. Stir in sprouts. Add tamarind water, fish sauce, and simple syrup and stir-fry until sauce is absorbed by noodles and noodles are well coated, about 1 minute. Stir in chopped spring onion or chives. Add 1/4 tsp. ground chiles and 1 Tbsp. peanuts and toss well. Transfer to serving plates. Garnish with remaining 1/4 tsp. ground chiles, 1 Tbsp. peanuts, and lime wedges. Enjoy! 

This picture was super un-posed, I promise