Pad Thai

We've made it to Thailand in our round-the-world cooking adventure.  Since I had never cooked pad thai before, that is what we chose to make.  It tasted great and really wasn't very difficult.  I used this recipe here, but made some modifications since I was cooking for 7 people and I wasn't able to get all of the ingredients.

INGREDIENTS (serves 8):
1-454gm (16 oz.) package of rice noodles (linguine-width)
4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
marinade for chicken: 3 teaspoons of corn starch mixed with 1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 fresh red chilies, minced (optional)

1/2 cup fresh coriander/cilantro (optional)
3 cups fresh bean sprouts

8 green onions, sliced

3/4 cup peanuts, roughly chopped

slices of lime

1/2 cup vegetable stock

oil for cooking

Pad Thai sauce: 

3 tablespoons lemon juice (the original recipe called for tamarind paste, but I couldn't find any so I used lemon juice)

6 tablespoons fish sauce (this is the magic ingredient that makes it taste like Thai food and is available in most grocery stores)

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed chili pepper flakes

5 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

METHOD:

1.  Marinate the chicken pieces for at least one hour.
2.  Soak the noodles in warm water for 30 minutes or until they are soft enough to be eaten, but still a little crunchy.
3.  Mix together the pad Thai sauce and set aside.
4.  Heat oil in a frying pan or wok and cook the garlic (and chilies if using) for about 30 seconds.  Add marinated chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Add 1-2 tablespoons of chicken stock at a time as needed to keep the cooking chicken moist.
5.  Add the noodles to the cooked chicken and pour the pad Thai sauce over it.  Using two utensils stir the noodle mixture like you are tossing a salad for 1-2 minutes.  Add more oil or chicken stock as needed to keep it moist.
6.  Add the bean sprouts (and 1 more tablespoon of fish sauce if desired) and cook for 1 more minute.
7.  Serve the pad Thai with fresh coriander, chopped green onions, chopped nuts, and a slice of lime.

I felt like this meal was a little lacking in the vegetable department so I stir fried some bok choy and red peppers with onion and garlic and a little fish sauce.  It was my own version of faux Thai vegetables, but they tasted great with the pad Thai.  I didn't include a photo of them because they weren't authentic.

We've also cooked Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam so I'll be posting them soon.  Have you ever cooked pad Thai?  It is a popular dish and I think this version tasted pretty authentic if you want to give it a try.