Pad Thai...home made and the real deal!

I often start off my posts saying "This was my first try at (insert food) and it came out (insert excited word plus exclamation mark).: D  Well, this time, I decided to tackle a dish I've tried making before that didn't turn out good ever before...Pad Thai.  My failed attempts at Pad Thai must have kept me from cooking it fo so long because I hadn't made it in 2 years in spite of my love for it. 

Maybe it was the ingredients or recipes I was using previously (not authentic).  I've learned through time that quality of ingredients really is a deal breaker when it comes to making a dish authentic.  If you don't have that down, it doesn't matter how good your technique is.  And with Pad Thai, I find that techinique is crucial too so there are many ways you can botch Pad Thai.  You're dealing with a lot of ingredients in small amounts and a short amount of time to cook them to perfection. 

This time, I made sure I got all the right ingredients and I followed my recipe very accurately.  The Pad Thai didn't come out exactly how I wanted but it came out pretty close and much closer than it ever had before.  Maybe trying Pad Thai in Thailand made me understand better how it should be?  I'm pretty sure I'll get it more how I want it next time but still (not to brag) YES, my picky family actually ate it...and admitted they liked it!  So it had to be good!

Here's the ingredients not in the amounts I used them but in the amounts I'd recommend for next time:

Ingredients
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp cornstartch

4 Tbsp soy sauce
1 pound chicken breast, sliced into 1 inch long strips

1 large shallot, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup extra firm tofu

1 (16 ounce) package wide Thai rice noodles
1/2 cup crushed roasted peanuts

4 Tbsp of tamarind or 4 tsp of tamarind concentrate plus 3 Tbsp water
5 Tbsp palm sugar, crushed
3 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 teaspoon ground dried chili pepper
pinch of ground white pepper
2 Tbsp salted preserved turnip, chopped fine

2 eggs
3 cups of Chinese chives
3 cups bean sprouts, divided in half
1 lime, juice squeezed

2/3 cup carrots, grated into long strips
2/3 cup cabbage, finely sliced

Directions
Mix the cornstarch with the soy sauce and place the chopped chicken it the mixture.  Refrigerate to have the meat marinade a few minutes.

Soak the dry noodles in warm water while preparing the other ingredients, for 5-10 minutes.  The noodles should be pliable but definitely not soft and they shouldn't expand in the water.  Drain them in a collander.

Julienne the tofu and cut into 1 inch long matchsticks. When cut, the extra firm tofu should have a mozzarella cheese consistency. Cut up Chinese chives into 1 inch long pieces. Rinse the bean sprouts and save half for serving fresh.

Use a wok. Heat it up on high heat and pour 2 Tbsp of oil in it.   Add the chicken and cook quickly until it  it is no longer pink.  Remove the chicken from the wok and clean the wok.

Add 2 Tbsp of oil to the wok.  Add shallot, garlic and tofu and stir them until they start to brown.  Add the noodles to the wok followed by 1/4 cup of peanuts. Stir quickly to keep everything from sticking.

Add tamarind, sugar, fish sauce, chili pepper, white pepper and preserved turnip. Stir. The heat should remain high. If your wok is not hot enough, you will see a lot of juice in the wok at this point. Turn up the heat if it is the case.

Make room for the eggs by pushing all noodles to the side of the wok. Crack the eggs onto the wok and scramble them until they're almost cooked. Fold the eggs into the noodles. Add the chicken and stir. Add the bean sprouts and chives.  Pour the lime juice in. Stir a few more times. The noodles should be soft and very tangled.  Add more water if this is not the case.  Otherwise, the Pad Thai's done.

To serve, place some bean sprouts, carrots and cabbage on the side of the plate.  Place the Pad Thai mixture in the middle and sprinkle some peanuts on top.  Season with more lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chili pepper powder, if desired.  You can also use Sriracha sauce.

Enjoy the light and tropical flavors and imagine being in beautiful Thailand!

P.S. Here's me enjoying Pad Thai...and other delectable goodies...in Thailand this December.: )