Shrimp pad thai

Shrimp pad thai, another well known Thai dish, is a favorite among the people I serve. Simple noodles stir fried with shrimp and tossed with fresh bean sprouts, cilantro, and crunchy peanuts, what's not to love?

Shrimp Pad Thai

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

8 oz rice stick noodles

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp red chili flakes or 1 fresh red chili, thinly sliced

12-15 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed

1 egg, whisked

2 cups bean sprouts

1/2 bunch cilantro

1/3 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped

lime wedges for garnish

Sauce:

3 tbsp fish sauce

1 1/2 tbsp thin soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp sweet soy sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar or palm sugar

1 tsp tamarind paste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and add the noodles. Rehydrate the noodles for 3-4 minutes or until it has slightly softened, but is not entirely cooked. Drain the noodles, rinse in cold water and set aside. 
2. Combine the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. Whisk together, making sure it is well mixed and set aside.
3. Heat the 2 tbsp oil in a wok or a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and chili flakes or fresh chili and stir fry for 30 seconds or until the aromatics are released.
4. Add the shrimp and saute until they are just turning pink, about 2-3 minutes. Make a well in the center of the pan, pushing the ingredients to the sides. Add the whisked egg and stir to make scrambled, cooking for about 1 minute. 
5. Add the noodles, the sauce, and 2 tbsp of water. Stir all of the ingredients together, making sure the noodles are coated in the sauce. As the liquid gets absorbed, add a tbsp of water at a time as needed to cook the noodles. Stir constantly until the noodles taste chewy, about 6 minutes. Remove the noodles from heat and toss in the bean sprouts. Adjust the seasoning as needed, adding more tamarind or lime juice if too salty or sweet and more fish sauce if too bland. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and the chopped peanuts. Serve hot. 

Nutritional Analysis:
per serving: 744 calories, 15.6g fat (3.1g saturated, 4.2g polyunsaturated, 7.0g monounsaturated), 125.7g carbohydrates, 7.0g fiber, 27.4g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Rice stick noodles are fairly thick and wide and needs more time to cook than is allotted when stir frying; therefore, you want to soak the noodles in boiling water to soften them a bit. This will allow the noodles to cook quicker later when it is time to stir fry. 

Make sure to saute the ginger, garlic, and chili flakes only for 30 seconds or they will burn. The main goal is to simply release the aromatics. Ideally, this dish should be cooked in a wok because of the high heat a wok can retain, but if you're like me and only have a saute pan, it will do.

If you are doubling this recipe, make sure to only cook 8 oz noodles at a time or else it will not cook evenly and some noodles will be overcooked while others are under. I add a little water because all the liquid gets absorbed but the noodles are not fully cooked yet. You can add more sauce, but you risk making the noodles too salty. 

Taste the noodles and see if it needs more flavoring. If so, add more sauce. Remember to always taste your food as you cook!

Pad thai galore! I had to make three large trays today because of extra guests and I knew people pile on their plates with noodles. 

These noodles always taste best fresh. If you let it sit out, they will dry out and the flavor diminishes. The sauce, however, can be kept in the refrigerator for up to one month. Do I sense a pad thai party?