I had to (pad) thai it...

Ha ha ha. How clever I am with that title. :P Well... I thought it was witty, anyways.

The first time I made pad thai was the last time as the recipe was quite horrendous. I don't really recall the flavor (except that it wasn't very good), or appearance for that matter, (it was many a years ago)... but the main thing I do remember is the handful of strange ingredients that required running all over creation to find. One of the items called for was some odd pickled item that was a strange bright green... I think it might have been little pearl onions (but probably not).. either way, it was strange... and green was most definitely not the color nature intended it to be. Where on Earth did I get that recipe? And why did I think it would be a good one? It's amazing the insight and skill a few years of experience will give you.

Having made those wonderful spring rolls (I'm really loving this whole linkage tool) I had a lot of bean sprouts left over (and still do, as a matter of fact). The first thing that popped into my head to utilize these sprouts was Pad thai, naturally, right? :P That left me with the task of finding a suitable recipe... with less extravagant ingredients. My first instinct (again... going off my love for the beloved Bittman) was to turn to 'How to Cook Everything', but, seeing as his recipe seemed to be a bit plain, I took to the internet for some more ideas. Mah-vel-ous, this idea was (<--- my ode to Yoda), as it gave me the idea to add a little extra heat with asian chili sauce, a little sweetness with tamarind concentrate, and a bit more crunch and flavor with some scallions. Actually, the next time I make this, I think I will omit the tamarind concentrate, or at least mix it with a bit of water before hand. Even though I mixed the concentrate with the fish sauce and sugar (in attempts to loosen it up a bit), I think it mostly absorbed the fish sauce and stayed rather clumpy... creating random bites of over-sweetness.

I made this last night and was a bit disappointed with it then, but giving it time to rest in the refrigerator overnight ended up doing a world of good. Eating it for lunch today was more enjoyable than dinner last night, I'd say.

Onto the recipe... before we go there, though, it's important to say that you MUST have all your ingredients prepared and ready to add to your hot pan. There is NO time for prep during the cooking process lest you want to scorch your ingredients. That being said, once the rice noodles are soaked and your ingredients prepped, the cooking advances extremely quickly... and there's not much prep, so, minus soaking the noodles, this recipe really only takes about ten minutes. (It's also important to read through the recipe a few times so you know what you're doing. I can't stress how quickly this cooks up once you get going.)

Pad Thai

Makes 4 servings (I halved this recipe for myself)

Adapted from Mark Bittman's 'How to Cook Everything' (tweaked slightly by me)

Ingredients

• 12 ounces rice noodles, preferably vermicelli
• 3 Tablespoons peanut (preferred) or other oil
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 4 scallions, cut on the diagonal into about 1/2 inch pieces (reserve one for garnish)
• 1 cup peeled, large shrimp, roughly chopped (or use small shrimp and leave whole)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 Tablespoons fish sauce (nuoc mam or nam pla, available at Asian markets)
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 Tablespoon asian chili sauce (I used a bit more... and then garnished with more as well.. I like it spicy)
• 1-2 Tablespoons tamarind concentrate
• salt, if needed
• 1 1/2 cup mung bean sprouts (I should also say that bean sprouts most definitely do not last very long, even in the fridge)
• 1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped (I had left over unsalted peanuts from the spring rolls which I used)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• Minced cilantro leaves (this is essential in my opinion)
• 2 limes or lemons, quartered (I opted for limes)

Preparation

Soak the noodles in warm water to cover until soft; this will take from 15 to 30 minutes. You can change the water once or twice to hasten the process slightly. (I soaked mine for about 18 minutes, changing the water once.) Drain thoroughly, then toss with half the oil.

(REMEMBER: PREPARE ALL THE INGREDIENTS BEFORE HAND. This includes mixing together the fish sauce, sugar, chili sauce, and tamarind concentrate so there is no fumbling to measure these ingredients once you get going.) Heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat in a wok or large, deep non-stick skillet, for a minute or so until the first wisp of smoke appears. Add the garlic and scallions and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds; don't worry about fully cooking the shrimp.

Add the eggs and let sit for 15 seconds or so, until they begin to set. Then scramble with the shrimp, garlic, and scallions, breaking up any large clumps. Add the fish sauce, sugar, tamarind concentrate, and chili sauce and cook, stirring, for 15 seconds. Add the noodles and toss and cook until heated through. Taste and add salt as needed. Add 1 cup of bean sprouts and toss to distribute through the noodles.

Turn the noodles out onto a platter and garnish with the remaining bean sprouts, the peanuts, the remaining scallion, a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes, and some cilantro. Squeeze some lemon or lime juice all over and serve, passing more lemon or lime around separately.

Mmmm... pull out those chop sticks and enjoy. :)