TEHILLAH'S PAD THAI RECIPE

                                                                 by Tehlilah Levin

Hi everyone, surprise! I'm Tehlilah, yes the older sister of KlassicTBaby! This recipe is one of my favourite when I'm in Thailand and when not in Thailand. My mother in law - who is definitely my second mummy has the best recipes ever of traditional Thai dishes and she has taught me how to make them. One of my favourites is Pad Thai. Yes, my husband is Thai- fun fact my husband is half Thai and half German. My mother in law is from Thailand and my father in law is from Germany.

I'm sure KlassicTBaby has talked about our family history a little bit. Fun fact- my sisters and I are half Caribbean - Jamaican, a quarter German- our mothers father is Germany (Jewish at that, and we are proud of our Jewish hertiage), and  a quarter Indian - our  fathers mothers family is from the South part of India. My kids do eat a lot of the dishes from our cultures and hertiage.

 Pad Thai is Thailand's national dish, a flavorful stir-fry (pad in Thai) dish consisting of rice noodles, tofu, dried shrimp, bean sprouts, and eggs. If it's made with meat, chicken and pork are some of the most popular choices. Pad Thai is popular in Thailand, it's just eaten a little differently. There it's not a meal as such, it's a snack food, and that's why if you get it in Thailand there's not a lot of protein in it.

Pad Thai Recipe made with simple ingredients that is easy, fast and flavourful! You can make this with your choice of chicken, shrimp or tofu! Vegan-adaptable. Gluten Free!
                            
Here’s a simple recipe for my mother in law Pad Thai that contains very accessible ingredients and only takes about 15 minutes of actual cooking time.  The Pad Thai Sauce is so flavorful and balanced, it is as close as comes to the real deal without having to take a trip to the Asian market.

Believe me, when I tell you, I’ve had a lot of Pad Thai in my life. Here and all across Thailand! It’s one of my favourite things to eat, and so I’ve learned how to make it from my mother in law with her. It’s all about the flavour balance of the sauce, and the texture of the noodles.

What I love about this Pad Thai recipe is how adaptable and customisable it is. Make this with chicken, or shrimp or tofu. Yes, you can even make vegan Pad Thai!  Here’s my recipe for vegan fish sauce that will come in handy.

how to make easy pad Thai:

Whisk together Pad Thai Sauce

Prep the protein and vegetables

Whisk the eggs

Cook the noodles

Strifry it all together
                                  

I have paired this recipe down to its simplest components. I also make a more authentic version, emulating what I've  learned from mother in law when I made it in Thailand  using tamarind and such, but here I’ve wanted to create it with ingredients most everyone has on hand.

It really doesn’t need to be complicated to taste amazing. It is all  about balance!

Give it a try. Once you have the ingredients together, see if you can cook it in 15 minutes! It’s a fun challenge. It took me 20 minutes the first time, then finally down to 15!

Read the whole recipe through first and then give it a go. You will be faster and faster the more you practice, and I think you will like the recipe enough to want to try this over and over.

For the easiest cooking experience, make the Pad Thai recipe using a wok,  but you can also use a skillet, if in a pinch. Also the recipe works best, when not doubling or tripling in the wok

Make the Pad Thai with tofu like you see above or chicken or shrimp take your pick. If going for chicken, make sure to read the notes at the bottom of the recipe, especially if looking to reduce fat.

We’ve been poaching the thinly sliced chicken in a bit of water instead of frying it, and this is the way it was done at the restaurant. In fact, they actually poached the chicken in water ahead to save even more time, which is always an option.




Cutting the chicken very thinly really cuts down on cooking time, plus it just works better in the recipe. Remember to cut across the grain.  So here I’ve cut it into ⅛ -¼ thin strips about two inches long.

To save a few calories, I poach it in a little salted water, until cooked through which just takes a couple of minutes. Then I set it aside.

Another secret to this flavorful pad Thai recipe is the shallot. And of course garlic. But shallot more than anything adds so much flavor to this dish, way more than substituting onions. So try to seek out shallots at your grocery store, it will make a big difference -trust me

Sometimes I’ll add ginger, but it’s not imperative  and to save time, I’ll use store-bought, already peeled garlic.

Ginger paste, that comes in a tube is also another time-saving product I’ll buy at the grocery store.



Saute the garlic and shallot and prep the remaining ingredients.

Pad Thai Sauce ingredients

The secret to the Best Pad Thai, is the sauce! It must be balanced. Salty, sweet and sour!

Fish sauce ( or vegan fish sauce) and soy sauce add the salty component.

Brown Sugar or honey add sweetness. (In Thailand it is traditional to use palm sugar.)

Rice Vinegar  or traditionally tamarind and lime, add the sour component.

There is a delicate balance between salty, tart and sweet, and when you find it, totally elevates the dish!  This sauce to my palate is perfectly balanced.

Try it and see for yourself. You may adjust to your personal taste.

And  please do not leave the sugar component out. You will end up with fishy, sour pad Thai that tastes terrible. Trust me.

 

                      

Pour boiling water over rice noodles and let them soak just until they are pliable about 7-8 minutes. They don’t need to be totally soft, as they will soften as you sauté them. Then you place everything in the stir fryer and cook everything up.

                           

If going for a vegan pad thai, make the vegan fish sauce recipe ahead, it’s actually quite good, and keeps for months.

When it’s done, garnish with lime, roasted peanuts, or try this amazing Peanut Chili Crunch! Bean sprouts, and scallions!