Pad Thai

Pad Thai - made October 28, 2012 from Brownies for Dinner

I love Pad Thai.  When my nieces visit me, we get takeout from my favorite Thai restaurant and our decision making always considers whether we should get one order of pad thai or two.  I found this recipe on pinterest (of course) and it looked pretty easy so I gave it a go.  This didn't quite taste like the pad thai from my favorite Thai restaurant but I still liked it.  The lime juice and soy sauce make a good flavor combination with the cilantro and I love how easy it was to make.  My favorite, though, turned out to be the noodles.  I'd never cooked pad thai noodles before but I actually found brown rice pad thai noodles in the Asian aisle at Target.  Turns out I liked them much better than wheat-based noodles.  I may use these noodles from now on, even in non-pad thai recipes.  If you're gluten-free, these are a great substitute.  If you leave out the eggs, this can also be vegan-friendly.

Chinese food takeout box - closest thing I have to represent Thai take out :)

Oh, and I discovered this tip on pinterest and it actually works.  When you buy green onions and chop off the green part of the stalk, leave the white part with the bulb and the roots and immerse in water.  Within a few days, the green stalks will grow again and you'll have more green onions to use.  Perhaps real cooks already knew this but I didn't.  I've tried it and it actually works.  Now my issue is the green onions are growing too fast and I'm not cooking enough to use them - a good problem to have.

8 ounces dried, wide and flat rice noodles
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 squirt (about 1/8 teaspoon) Sriracha (optional)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 scallions (green onions), white and green parts, separated and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large eggs, light beaten (optional)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts

1. Soak noodles according to package instructions. Drain.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, and Sriracha.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add eggs and cook, scraping skillet with spatula until eggs are almost set (about 30 seconds). Transfer eggs to a plate.
5. Add noodles, scallion greens, and sauce to skillet. Cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft (about 1 minute). Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking eggs up gently.
6. Serve noodles with lime wedges, topped with cilantro and peanuts.