One of my favorite Asian dishes to order for take-out would have to be the classic Pad Thai. Having consumed this dish on many occasions, it seemed odd to me that I had never attempted to recreate it at home. Worth a shot right? The first thing I learned while researching recipes was that I had no clue what tamarind
The part of the tamarind plant that is used in food is the fruit that grows in pods on the tree. It kinda looks like a brown edamame pod or pea-pod, just bigger. The tree has pretty leaf structures that actually close at night, which I thought was awesome! The fruit is described as a sweet-sour taste and is brown in color. It is used in many dishes and desserts (like every candy at the Asian market), it’s even in Worcestershire sauce! Who knew?! A few other uses for the plant include natural medicine, mainly laxative, and the pulp can be used as a metal polish. The tree grows mainly in Africa and India, and is sometimes made into a bonsai tree (I might need to add one to my collection). Alright, tamarind lesson over, now on to the recipe.
We managed to find everything we needed for this dish at our local CUB, and even tried out their new delivery option (quite convenient). However, in retrospect I wish we had gone to our local Asian market for a few of the ingredients, like fresh bean sprouts and tamarind
Once again, I am sharing a recipe where a wok is paramount to the success of the dish. here
Chicken Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rice noodles (I found some marked as Pad Thai style)
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 to 2 dried red chilies (optional)
- 3 cups bean sprouts (fresh is better, but canned will do once drained)
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/3 cup peanuts, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Garnish: lime wedges
For the Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
For the Pad Thai Sauce:
- 3/4 tablespoon tamarind paste (dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water) Link above, or find at Asian market
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 to 3 teaspoons chili sauce, like gochujang (or 1/2 teaspoon or more dried crushed chili or cayenne, to taste)
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- Make sauce by combining sauce ingredients together in a cup. Stir well to dissolve tamarind and brown sugar. Taste-test for a tangy balance between sweet and sour. Add more sugar if too sour, or more tamarind if too sweet.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and drop in rice noodles. Stir to separate. Only cook until they are just starting to soften, about half the recommended cooking time on the package. (they will finish cooking later in the pan). Drain and rinse well with cold water to prevent sticking. Set aside.
- Place chicken slices in a small bowl. Stir the marinade together and pour over chicken. Stir well and set aside.
- Warm up a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil plus garlic and dried chili, if using. Stir-fry until fragrant (30 seconds). Add marinated chicken. When wok/pan becomes dry, add a little chicken stock. Stir-fry 5-7 minutes, until chicken is cooked.
- Add noodles and pour Pad Thai Sauce over top. Using two utensils, use a gentle "lift and turn" method to fry noodles (like tossing a salad). Stir-fry in this way 5 minutes, or until noodles are chewy 'al dente'. If your pan is too dry, add a little more oil.
- Add bean sprouts and continue frying 1 more minute, or until noodles are cooked. Noodles are done to perfection when they taste chewy and a little sticky. Taste-test for seasoning, adding more fish sauce until your desired flavor is reached.
- Top with generous amount of fresh cilantro, green onion, and chopped nuts. Add fresh lime wedges to be squeezed over the top before eating.