I’ve never been a huge fan of Tai food. It’s not that I have anything against it, I just never really craved Tai. To be fair, I’ve only actually eaten Tai food 3 times, and all three times it’s been Pad Tai. I’ve tried Drunken Noodle and it was okay, but pad tai seems to be a very basic choice (probably their most popular in the US?)
Anyway, Dennis doesn’t care much for Tai either but I was craving something different. I found a recipe for an easy Pad Tai recipe here and used it at a base, but changed a few things. She has lots of pretty pictures, so if you’re looking for a lovely view of how to piece the entire dish together, check it out. I’ve dropped my camera too many times to justify photographing while I’m cooking. I’m lucky to even be able to chop veggies without cutting myself.
Homemade Pad Tai (serves 2)
6 ounces dried, wide and flat rice noodles
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
3 tablespoons soy sauce (I used low sodium. If you do use low sodium, taste your dish because I needed to add just a teeny tiny bit of salt, but not enough to justify using regular soy sauce)
1 squirt (about 1/8 teaspoon) Sriracha (optional) I used about 1/2 tsp and it was perfect
2 teaspoons coconut oil
3 scallions (green onions), white and green parts, separated and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large eggs, light beaten (optional)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chunky PB (I used salt free natural)
Soak noodles according to package instructions. Drain.
- In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, and Sriracha.
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add eggs and cook, scraping skillet with spatula until eggs are almost set (about 30 seconds). Transfer eggs to a plate.
- Add noodles, scallion greens, sauce and PB to skillet. Cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft (about 1 minute). Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking eggs up gently.
- Serve noodles with lime wedges, topped with cilantro (and more peanuts for garnish if you like, but I didn’t do that)
A few things about this dish:
DO NOT overcook the eggs! She says specifically to cook until just set, which would have been perfect, but mine stuck to the pan and got all crazy on me even though I used oil. That kind of made it a little dry.
Also, the Sriracha and PB were key to this. The heat needs to be to your taste so play with it, but I enjoyed the kick. I also used the PB because I wanted the flavor to cook in with everything else rather than just a few bites of hard peanut everywhere, but it’s ultimately up to you.
And you might have noticed I didn’t use beansprouts. I’ve been hearing a lot of things about beansprouts lately being contaminated with stuff, so I opted out of using them. However, if you’re not afraid, go for it. I missed their crunch but not having them didn’t take anything away from the dish.
Would I make this again? Hell yes. It was quick, easy, and very tasty. Let me know if you try it!
