Does anyone have a great pad thai recipe?

[aggie94]

I've never made pad thai before but I love eating it out. :) I'm looking for a recipe that's as good as anything you'd get in a restaurant. I have two (one from this month's issue) but both of them seem a little strange to me. One has a bunch of stuff in it that I've never seen in any pad thai I've ordered (like radishes and paprika), which makes me wonder if the rest of the recipe is weird too. And the other is the one from this month's issue, but the ketchup makes me a little wary. :eek:

Can anyone help? It doesn't have to be light, just something really good.

[crazyquilter]

You know, there's one in the new Moosewood cookbook (what's it called, classics or something). I don't know how authentic it is, but it tastes pretty good, and doesn't have either ketchup or paprika. If you don't have that book, let me know, and I'll go find the recipe.

[Grace]

Eva - it just so happens I made Pad Thai for dinner last night! I made an old CL recipe a few years ago that wasn't anything to get excited over, so I was anxious to try again when I saw the new recipe in May's issue. But upon closer inspection, it seemed kind of boring (not bad, just boring). So I ran a quick search on the board, and actually came up with a rather recent thread where someone had made Pad Thai that they were RAVING about. It had come from a local newspaper. I took that recipe, and kind of "merged" it with the May issue, plus added a few things of my own (something I would NEVER - and I do mean NEVER have done even a year ago! :o :rolleyes: ). But I ended up with something truly wonderful. I will never make Pad Thai any other way from now on. Here's what I did:

Shrimp Pad Thai
CL May 2002 (with several modifications)

(I basically 1-1/2 X the sauce ingredients, and kept everything else the original amounts called for)

8 oz. wide rice stick noodles
3/8 cup ketchup (1/4 cup + 2 Tblsp)
3 Tblsp. sugar
3 Tblsp. fish sauce (kept this the same - don't like mine too "fishy")
2 tsp. Thai Chili Paste
2 tsp. peanut butter (instead of chopped peanuts)
1-1/2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
2 Tblsp. lime juice
2 Tblsp. vegetable oil, divided
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deviened
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
3/4 cup sliced green onions
2 tsp. fresh minced garlic
2 or 3 Tblsp. chopped cilantro

1. Place noodles in a large bowl. Add hot water to cover; let stand 12 minutes or until tender. Drain.

2. Combine ketchup, sugar, fish sauce, chili paste, peanut butter, ginger and lime juice in a small bowl.

3. Heat 2 tsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimpl saute 2 minutes or until shrimp are done. Remove shrimp from pan; keep warm.

4. Heat 4 tsp. oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add eggs; cook 30 seconds or until soft-scrambled, sitrring constantly. Add sprouts, green onions and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add noodles, ketchup mixture and shrimp; cook 3 minutes or until heated. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Here is the original nutritional information - I highly doubt my changes did much to the nutritional info - it was mostly flavorings, and my peanut butter replaces the peanuts, so that's probably a wash too.

Calories 343 (24% from fat) Fat 9.2g; Protein 21.3g; Carb 42.4g; Fiber 1.4g; Sodium 912mg

Let me know what you think if you try it. Otherwise, run a search, you might find something else that strikes your fancy!

[slknight]

There was just a thread with a pad thai recipe:

http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22887&highlight=pad+and+thai

[aggie94]

Grace,

Can you taste the ketchup in your recipe? It just seems strange to me to put ketchup in pad thai, and it's not like it's a small quantity -- 3/8 cup (or even the 1/4 that's in the May recipe) seems like quite a bit.

Thanks for reminding me of the other pad thai recipe that was floating around recently. I may give that a try first and then tinker with it if it's not exactly what I'm looking for.

[Grace]

Eva -

I couldn't taste the ketchup at all (as ketchup, that is). And all the other recipes called for tomato paste anyway (and ketchup is just tomato paste with some vinegar and sugar added). But the pot of noodles is soooo big, that 6 tblsp. of ketchup (3/8 cup) was just not noticeable to me. It barely even turned the dish pink. Mine actually looked exactly like the picture looks, if that's any help.

BTW, I just ate the rest of the leftovers for breakfast (cold!), and YUM, they were still SOOOO good!!! A keeper recipe, for sure. Hope you find what you're looking for, though!

[aggie94]

Okay, you've convinced me. I'm planning to make pad thai next week, when I get back from my trip to Oregon, and I think I'll cut both recipes in half and make them both to compare! I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks!

[jphilg]

I posted on the other Pad Thai thread, about the other recipe and my new-found infatuation with it.....there is tomato paste in that one, too, I think. And vinegar, and sugar. So ultimately the same thing. Mine actually was kind of pink, becuase I added a big thwap of chili garlic paste, but my favorite thai place serves pinkish pad thai so that is the benchmark for me.

GOod luck, and report back!

[Beth H]

Grace - do you think that your Pad Thai recipe could be made ahead of time? I'm making Pad Thai for a supper club tomorrow night, and I prefer to bring things that are already made.

Thanks!

[Personal Chef]

Are Thai chili paste and Thai Red Curry Paste the same thing?

[buffygirl]

No, the chili paste does not have curry in it.

Kim

[aggie94]

I don't think they're exactly the same thing. I have both in my fridge at home, and use whichever is called for. But I think the primary ingredients in each are similar, so depending on the recipe, you could probably sub one for the other. I probably wouldn't use Thai red curry paste in pad thai, though.

[Personal Chef]

Perhaps that's why this recipe bombed for me. The store only had curry paste. I read the ingredients and it's primarily chilies so I used that instead. The meal was so spicy we couldn't eat it. My husband and I through it all out and ate buttered noodles with garlic.

[TLee4]

Just have to give an endorsement of Grace's modified recipe. It is SO good. I have made it 4 times, and I am not a big recipe repeater!

[LauraBL]

I am infamous for this version of Phad Thai among family and friends. I usually make it with tofu, but I've also made it with chicken as well. You can use rice noodles or linguine with great results. The most labor is all the chopping, so get some kitchen help if you can.
I swear by the "Siracha" sauce with the green lid and a picture of a Rooster on the front. My DH and I refer to this as the c___ (aka the other name for a Rooster) sauce!


Be warned, this has some heat to it!


* Exported from MasterCook *

Laura's Famous Pad Thai******


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
16 ounces linguine -- or rice noodles
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 T. sugar
2 T. chili sauce -- (Like Siracha-Rooster sauce)
3 T. olive oil
1 small red bell pepper -- thinly sliced
1 T. fresh ginger root -- grated, peeled
1 clove garlic -- minced
1 bunch green onions -- chopped
2 large eggs -- lightly beaten
1 package firm tofu -- cut into small squares
2 cups bean sprouts -- about 1/2 pound
1 small tomato -- cut into thin wedges
1/4 cup salted peanuts -- coarsely chopped
1 T. fresh cilantro -- chopped
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
lime wedges

Prepare noodles as label directs; drain and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in cup, stir soy sauce, sugar, chili sauce, and 1/2 cup water; set aside. In 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, in hot olive oil, cook red pepper, ginger, garlic, and all but 1/4 cup green onions until tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Push vegetables to one side of skillet.

To same skillet over medium-high heat, add eggs, stirring until set but still moist. Stir in bean sprouts, tofu, and soy-sauce mixture; over high heat, heat to boiling. Add noodles and tomato wedges, tossing to coat with sauce; heat through.

Spoon noodle mixture onto large warm platter. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, chopped cilantro, crushed red pepper, and remaining chopped green onions.

Have Sriracha or other asian hot chili sauce, red pepper flakes, lime wedges, chopped green onions, and julienned cucumbers, chopped peanuts as extra items to add on to individual portions.


Start to Finish Time:
"0:30"

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