Pad Thai

Tadaaa!!! Today I've got to try one recipe of Pad Thai.  I had fun doing the cooking since it is very simple, quick and easy.  The only trouble I had was cooking in a hot and humid kitchen.  Infact, today's temperature is around 41 degrees Celcius.  I was already hungry the moment I finished cooking.  I was looking for something to pair with my pad thai and  I found some chicken skin which Mars' bought from the souq the other day.  I took a few pieces of these so called bad for the heart food, grabbed a pepsi and that was my lunch.

Here's my recipe:

3 T. fish sauce
1/4 c Tamarind juice
2 T. sugar
2-3 T. Chili Sauce
4 T. Vegetable oil (I used what I have, Canola oil)
8 oz. chicken, shrimp or tofu
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 cup bean sprouts (I used the one in can)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts
1 egg beaten
1 lime or lemon
8 oz. rice noodles

1.  Soak the rice noodles in warm water for 5-8 minutes or according to the package instructions.  Be careful not to over soak.  It should still be flexible but firm.
2.  Combine the fish sauce, tamarind juice (I think tamarind paste can be used as well), sugar and chili sauce in a bowl and set aside.  You may use a commercially prepared pad thai sauce instead and thereby omitting all the first 4 ingredients.
3.  Heat the oil in high heat, add the chicken, tofu or shrimps or all of them for variety. Stir fry for a few minutes and set aside.
4.  Add again 1 T oil in the wok stir fry the garlic, scallions, bean sprouts and peanuts for 1 minute.
5.  Drain the noodles and toss in the wok, add the pad thai sauce and stir fry quickly.  Push the noodles into one side of the wok and add 1 T oil, scramble the beaten egg.  Combine all cooked ingredients and stir fry for  just a little bit more.
6.  Serve with lime or lemon.

Note:  My idea of a real pad thai is the one we order from the Thai Snack House at Al  Mirquab St.  The next time I'm cooking pad thai, I think Ive got to add more peanuts and veggies (romaine lettuce) and maybe add more oil.  I was so careful not putting too much and I think that was why my final product was a little dry.  Some chili powder or  flakes can be added if preferred.

FYI:  Pad Thai, though a Thai dish was originally brought to Thailand by Vietnamese traders.  There are actually two types of Pad Thai, the dry and the one which is popular outside Thailand, the heavier and oilier version.

Now that I'm full, I can concentrate on my next project...Wix.