Pad Thai is undoubtedly the National dish of Thailand and rightly so because it is the epitome of sophistication when it comes to the flavours but is easily available on every street. I love how it looks as pretty as it tastes, yes I am saying it tastes pretty because it really does, the delicate flavours of sweet-sour and salty just make this smell and taste grand. Even while I was cooking this dish for today's class, I couldn't stop drooling. It's not quite dinner time yet, and I'm still drooling from that one bite I took to check the seasoning!
So lets's break it down.
Protein: I used Prawns today. You can use Chicken, Beef, tofu, the choices are endless.
In addition, you can also use eggs, I am allergic to eggs, so I naturally omit them.
If you have dried shrimp, use it, it will add a nice taste to your dish, add it along with garlic.
Veggies: Really, you can use any veggies of your choice but I suggest you use Bean sprouts, Onion and Spring onions for sure. I used carrots, capsicum and mushrooms too
Flavouring: Garlic definitely is something you shouldn't skip. I used chilli padi, but you can stick to green chillies of chilly flakes. 1 chilly padi was enough to make the noodles spicy for 2 people. But then my spice tolerance is pretty low, so take that into account.
Sauces: Use tamarind paste, Jaggery and fish sauce if you can find it. If you can't find fish sauce, use soy sauce or just plain old salt.
Other elements: Roasted Peanuts and Lime wedges.
Noodles: Pad Thai is originally made with Rice noodles only. So if you can't find them, definitely try making them at home.
Ingredients :
3-5 Prawns Per Person
Rice noodles
Veggies of your choice
1.5 tsp Garlic
1 Onion
Sliced Mushrooms
Carrots
Bean Sprouts
Capsicum
Tamarind pulp
Jaggery
Fish sauce/ Soy Sauce
Chilly
Roasted Peanuts
Dried Shrimp
Method:
In a wok, on medium heat add oil and cook prawns or any other proteins. Once cooked, take them out and leave aside.
In the same wok, start stir-frying garlic. If you have dried shrimp, add them now.
When the garlic turns aromatic, add crushed chilli padi followed by mushrooms and onions.
Once mushrooms are half-way done, add carrots and cook for a couple more minutes. If you are using eggs, now would be the time to beat them and add it to the pan.
Add capsicum and bean sprouts and cook them for about 30 seconds
Add peanuts and then the rice noodles. Toss till the veggies are distributed.
Add the sauces and a tbsp of water and toss everything together.
Cook for about a minute and serve with a lime wedge and Prawns.
Enjoy while it's hot.
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