cary loves pad thai.  a lot.  he loves pad thai so much that i can sometimes even bribe him with the promise of this dinner.  i’ve found that it is good to have a dish this adored in your relationship arsenal, especially when dealing with certain yard-work hating men.

so early on in our relationship and before my blogging days, i set out to find and make THE pad thai recipe of a (my) lifetime.  it took me about a month or so of googling, talking to friends, eating pad thai out and about (mostly terrible with the exception of ‘basil’s‘) and visiting the international markets here in town.  finally, armed with some knowledge, i was dangerous enough to take my frankensteinesque version to the kitchen.

and it was surprisingly spot on.  i was amazed.  no, delighted.  even mildly amused.  there i was – a middle-aged woman of jewish heritage kickin some pad thai ass. 

now, as noted i’m not thai.  i’ve never been to thailand.  i am an expert on nothing in particular.  so if you want to make pad thai with ketchup and peanut butter and that works for you, i’m totally fine with that.  in the cosmic light of all things, it matters not one bit.  at least not to me. although there are those that seem to feel a bit more passionate on the subject… which i totally get.  like in the case of cannoli cream.  like when can grand marnier ever substitute for candied citron or orange peel?  don’t even get me started… 

but i digress…

so people - if you want to taste something really really good and are willing to procure the proper ingredients and do what in all fairness is somewhat easy prep work, i urge you to give this pad thai a serious whirl.  i should imagine you will be quite pleased with yourself. the simple key to success is to have your mise en place – in place.  then it’s a total cinch.

for some reason, i’ve been remiss in making this for my guy.  it’s been probably 6 months since i broke out the ol’ seasoned to perfection wok. 

Pad Thai by CY

import foods  <—  good, reliable and reasonable source

1. palm sugar – 2 pieces (or about 1/4 cup of sugar – brown also works fine)
2. tamarind concentrate – 3 T
3. fish sauce – 3 T
4. chili sauce – 1 T (the kind with the rooster on the bottle)
5. shallot – 2 chopped fine
6. garlic – 5/6 cloves – chopped finely
7. salted radish – 1 each finely diced
8. dried shrimp – ¼ cup – soaked in boiled water for 10 minutes, then very very finely diced
9. rice sticks – 8 oz – soaked until desired tenderness (soft but firm)
10. thai ground chili pepper – to taste
11. shrimp – about 10 jumbo shrimp – peeled and veined with tails left on (tiger shrimp are amazing)
12. peanuts – ½ cup unsalted roasted – crushed (make sure they’re fresh and have peanut flavor)
13. peanut oil – about 7 or 8 T (don’t bother skimping here – it’s just not worth it)
14. eggs – 2
15. bean sprouts – 2 cups
16. cilantro – to taste
17. green onion – sliced
18. fresh lime wedges

*please note that I haven’t bothered with tofu or chicken – seems pointless to us here at the ranch but please, feel free

1. mix first 4 ingredients until sugar is dissolved – microwave helps
2. cook shrimp until pink – separately in any pan or use the wok – set aside
3. add about 2 T oil to hot wok – then add shallots and garlic
4. after about 30 seconds add crushed dried shrimp and salted radish
5. after about another 30 seconds or so – add 3 T oil and then add noodles
6. combine noodles with mixture in pan – moving noodles until they cook to the right consistency
7. move noodles to one side of pan – tilt the wok slightly and add 2 T oil - then add two beaten eggs – swirl around – let set up – mix with noodles
8. then add sauce and combine, adding bean sprouts and about ¾ of peanut’s
mix well in wok

turn out onto platter or bowl – add the shrimp, green onion, cilantro, rest of the peanuts, and ground chili pepper.  lime wedges for everyone. 

my version tonight didn’t exactly follow the ‘proper’ order but it was close enough.  i didn’t add the beansprouts until after i threw the shrimp back in the wok – and the shrimp really didn’t need to go back in the wok – and the peanuts never made the wok but got mixed in after it all hit the serving bowl.  really it had been too long and i wasn’t reading my own directions.  but it worked.  and it was great. 

this should keep the pad thai jones at bay for a few weeks…