Pad Thai: Shrimp, Chicken, or Pork

Pad Thai is a popular Thai food dish. It's a rice noodle dish with a sweet n' sour, spicy flavor mostly served with shrimp, and scrambled egg. 

It's then topped with crushed peanuts. I've done it with shrimp, but chicken, pork even a firm white fish works well, too.

Rice "stick" noodles aren't too hard to find in the Asian aisle of most food stores, but ingredients for the sauce might be. I found a jar of Pad Thai sauce as a local Asian store for just under $3.00 and it makes 15 servings.

If you can't find it, a little lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce, cayenne pepper and rice vinegar mixture can work as a substitute.

The dish can be served on his own or as a side dish with an egg roll and or salad.

Pad Thai: Shrimp, Chicken, or Pork
1/3 cup lime juice and 1/3 cup water
3 Tabs. fish sauce
1 Tab. rice vinegar
3 Tabs. light brown sugar
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 Tabs. peanut or vegetable oil
8 oz. dried rice noodles, the ones that look like linguine
2 beaten eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
12 oz. medium shrimp peeled, deveined, or cubed chicken or pork
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced, or white onion

1/3 cup chopped, peanuts, plus extra for garnish
3 cups bean sprouts
5 medium green onions sliced thin
1/4 cup cilantro or celery leaves

For the sauce: Stir together lime juice, water, fish sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, cayenne, and 2 tablespoons oil; set aside.

Homemade Sauce

Cover rice sticks with boiling water in a large bowl and soak until soft,  about 15 minutes. Drain noodles and set aside. In a separate small bowl, beat eggs and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over high heat until smoking. Add chicken (or other meat/seafood) and sprinkle with remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook, tossing occasionally, until browned at the edges, about 3 - 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Take the skillet off the heat and add remaining oil. Add the garlic and shallot, then set the skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly until light golden brown (about 1-1/2 minutes). Add beaten eggs and stir until scrambled and a little moist, about 20 seconds. 

Add drained noodles and stir and toss to combine. Pour the fish sauce mixture over noodles and increase the heat to high. Cook, tossing constantly until the noodles are evenly coated.

Add peanuts, bean sprouts, cilantro or celery leaves, all but 1/4 cup green onions, and cooked meat. Continue to cook and toss until the noodles are tender (about 2-1/2 minutes). Transfer the noodles to a serving platter and sprinkle with the remaining green onions and peanuts.

Serves 4 to 6.

Estimated cost: $6.00 or less; $1.50 or less per serving

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