Recently we inherited an absurd quantity of rice noodles from a friend (thanks, David!) who was visiting town and had leftover groceries that he didn’t want to waste. To be honest, we hadn’t used rice noodles many times before and weren’t sure how we would get through all of these, but now that we’ve made this recipe (twice!) we’re not worried. We’re all fans of this dish.
Pad Thai
A not too complicated version of a favorite Thai restaurant meal. There are several steps and they happen pretty quickly so make sure all your prep is done ahead.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Chili vinegar
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- 1 serrano chile stemmed and sliced thinly
Quick brined radishes
- 3-4 radishes cut into thin matchsticks
- ¼ cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp sugar
Noodles and stir fry
- 8 oz rice noodles (¼ inch wide)
- boiling water
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- 3 tbsp tamarind juice concentrate
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 lb large shrimp (26-30 count) peeled and deveined; thawed if frozen
- 4 scallions white and light green parts minced, dark greens sliced into ¼" rings
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 4 oz mung bean sprouts
Serve with:
- ¼ cup roasted, salted peanuts chopped coarsely
- lime wedges
- remaining chili vinegar
Instructions
Chili vinegar
- Combine vinegar and sliced chili in a bowl and let stand at room temperature. Let sit at least 15 minutes before using in recipe.
Brined radishes
- Combine ¼ cup water, sugar and salt and microwave until just steaming and salt and sugar are dissolved. Add radishes and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain radishes and dry on paper towels. Set aside.
Noodles
- Optional: Break noodles in half before cooking (makes it easier to stir everything together)
- Bring 6-8 cups water to a boil. Take off heat and stir in noodles. Let stand 4 minutes, stir and let stand an additional 4 minutes. Drain noodles, rinse with cold water and toss in 2 tsp sesame oil. Set aside.
Sauce
- Combine fish sauce, tamarind concentrate and sugar in a small covered container. whisk or shake well until sugar is dissolved and set aside.
Stir fry:
- In a 10" non-stick skillet, scramble eggs, seasoning with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of the chili vinegar if desired. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tsp veg oil and 1 tsp sesame oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add garlic and minced scallions and saute until garlic is golden brown. Add shrimp to skillet, tossing to combine and let shrimp cook until opaque, turning to cook both sides. remove from skillet and set aside.
- Heat remaining oil in skillet; add noodles and sauce. Cook, tossing often with tongs until noodles are tender and have mostly absorbed sauce. Add in shrimp and eggs and 2 tsp chili oil. Continue heating and tossing together until heated through.
- Add radishes, scallion greens and bean sprouts; toss to combine and serve with lime wedges, peanuts and remaining chili vinegar on the side.
Notes
Chili vinegar: I used both a jalapeño and cayenne pepper since I couldn’t find a Serrano at the farmers market. You can use whatever heat level chili appeals to you. We keep it in a jar in the fridge and have used it for subsequent batches of Pad Thai.
Noodles: Rice noodles are really easy to overcook so bringing water to a boil then taking it off heat to cook the noodles is a good way to avoid that. Be careful timing them to make sure they don’t over cook in the hot water. Drain and rinse thoroughly before adding sesame oil to reduce sticking. The best tool too distribute the oil is your hands…
General: If you don’t have a large enough skillet or pan for adding everything together on the stove, you can always toss it together in a bowl after the noodles are cooked with the sauce.