Cook with Patsitivity #4: Pad Thai at home

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I'm in such a good mood today that instead of just thinking of sharing another recipe, I'm actually keying in the ingredients and cooking procedure now. Is it something you must be excited about? Well, it's my favorite Thai food so you better be. 😁

I'm referencing this again to the 2022 goals I wrote before the year started. I planned on exploring international cuisine this year including Thai, Malaysian, Italian and Korean cuisines. They say if you're trying to be great at something why not give it your all. I guess trying cuisines beyond the usual Filipino dishes I prepare can be considered as a step towards managing my own restaurant one day.

I've mentioned this a couple of times in the past: Thai cuisine hit me right where I should be hit! I couldn't forget how great the street food in Thailand was during my visit. You don't even have to go to malls to find great food; they're all over the streets and they're definitely affordable. Okay, let's cut to the chase. Find you knives and let's the kitchen grind begin! 😎

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What you'll need

• 150g dried Pad Thai Noodles
• 4 tbsp oil (preferably vegetable oil)
• 12 medium-sized shrimp or if you have access to large ones, 6 pcs should be enough, shelled and deveined
• 1 small red shallot or onion, finely sliced
• 80g tofu, cut into small matchsticks
• 50g dried shrimp
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 45g roasted unsalted peanuts, finely ground
• 150g bean sprouts (add as you wish)
• 2 tbsp garlic chives, cut into 2 cm lengths
• lime wedges, for garnish

For the Sauce:

• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
• 2 tbsp tamarind puree
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)

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Cooking procedure

When I looked at the recipe I got from RecipeTin Eats, I was amazed that it's very easy to cook Pad Thai from scratch. Okay, maybe not from scratch as I had no time to prepare and extract tamarind puree at home. But still, it's easy to follow.

Why don't we start instead of talking? Haha! 😅

1. Cook the Pad Thai rice noodles based on the instructions displayed on the back of the packaging.
   _{Note: Pai Thai rice noodles, just like pasta, could be cooked based on a standard procedure but it's still best to check the cooking instructions as they may differ in terms of time.}
2. Heat oil in a wok or large heavy-based fry pan over medium heat. Add the prawns and cook until they change color. Remove from heat and allow to cool down. Peel off the shell of the prawns. Set aside.
3. Use the same wok where the prawns were cooked. Add shallots and stir until aroma comes out. Then add the tofu, dried shrimps, fish sauce, palm sugar, and tamarind puree and cook for a minute. Make sure the sugar is dissolved.
   _{Note: In my case since it was difficult to secure tamarind puree, I used readily available Pai Thai sauce. Hence, I had to skip the fish sauce, palm sugar, and tamarind puree as well as the white vinegar.}
4. Add cooked rice noodles and chili powder. Mix well.
   _{Note: Chili powder is optional. But traditionally, Pad Thais are hot and spicy. The spicier the better for me! 😉}
5. Turn the heat to low fire and push the noodles on one side of the wok. You may opt to add more oil at this point. Then add the eggs.
6. Push the noodles over the egg and mix, please make sure that you scrape the bottom part of the wok so the eggs will be mixed well with the noodles.
7. Remove from heat. Toss in some peanuts, bean sprouts, garlic chives, and the cooked prawns and mix gently.
8. Best serve hot in a platter with lime wedges on the side. Chili powder or chili flakes could be added if you're a fan of spicy food!
   _{Note: I couldn't find lime in my area so I just bought substitutes.}

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Finish Product

I was a bit disappointed to see the tofu crumble into bits and pieces? Lol! It was my first time cooking with tofu and I really don't know what to expect. Tofu isn't as staple as rice here in our country, in fact, it's seldom used in typical households. But when my boyfriend and I tasted the Pad Thai, we were shocked that it actually tasted great. The flavor was on point and I could taste the streets of Thailand in every bite, which was the whole point of cooking this comfort food. I'm planning on cooking Pad Thai again but using tamarind puree. I'm gonna do some online shopping first! Shoppee and Lazada to the rescue!

In case you're wondering how the final product looked like, here are a few snaps. Trigger warning: They might make you hungry just by looking! 😅

That's all for today, foodies! Hope you could try this recipe at home, soon! 😁

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