Pad Thai is one of those dishes that I crave all the time. Because it's so good I thought that it would be difficult to make at home, but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it actually is. I don't know Thai food that well (other than what I've had at restaurants) but I tried to find a semi-authentic recipe where I could easily find ingredients at my local grocery store. I'm happy to say... no more take-out for me!
While a wok is recommended, you can also use a large non stick pan. The package of noodles that I bought was 14 oz so I ended up essentially tripling the recipe (1 onion, 2 chicken breasts, 6 eggs, entire package of tofu, etc) in order to use up all of my ingredients. The only thing that I did not have enough of was the pre-made sauce so it was a little bland. If you do end up tripling and using the pre-made, you'll need 2 jars.
Ingredients:
4 oz rice noodles*
2-3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1/2 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 chicken breast, thinly sliced
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups beansprouts
1/2 cup firm tofu, pressed and cut into batons
1/4 cup garlic chives or scallions, cut into strips
1/4 cup finely chopped peanuts
Lime wedges
*I used Banh Pho brand, which I found at Market Basket.
Ingredients (sauce)
1 1/2 tbsp tamarind puree*
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
*If you cannot find tamarind puree, feel free to use pre-made Pad Thai sauce. I won't judge because this is what I had to do. recipe tin eats recommends substituting with Ketchup.
Directions:
Place noodles in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let the noodles sit for 5-7 minutes, then drain under cold water, set aside. If making the sauce, mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Heat oil in a wok or large non stick pan over high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook until mostly cooked through. Push to one side of the pan, pour in the egg and scramble with a wooden spoon, then mix with the chicken. Add bean sprouts, tofu, noodles, then sauce. Toss gently until sauce is absorbed. Add garlic chives or scallions and half the peanuts. Toss and remove from heat. Serve with remaining peanuts, lime wedge, chili, and bean sprouts.
Recipe from recipe tin eats. She has a lot of step by step photos if you're more of a visual learner.