Flavour of Thai

A dish of stir-fried rice noodles with (pad-thai) sauce and vegetables. The subtle blend of sauces, which when added to the noodles and vegetables creates a texture and taste that makes Pad Thai a lip-smacking experience.

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Thai cusine is one among my favorites. My liking for Thai food started when I visited Bangkok. My dad loves to take us on vacations and it was on one such vacation we were in Bangkok for a week. My brother being a foodie, we indulged in a lot of Thai food during our trip. One of my favorite was the ‘Tom Yum’ soup. Just love how they serve soup all through the meal. Certainly, the Thai Omelet needs a mention here. It was delicious! In US, there are plenty of Thai restaurants and I love the Thai fried rice and Pad Thai!

I tried different Pad Thai recipes available on the web, after a lot of adaption, modification and experiments I was successful in making my version of Pad Thai at home!

Pad thai is a dish of stir-fried rice noodles with (pad-thai) sauce and vegetables. I like my sauce to lead with gentle sweet flavor, followed by a mild tanginess, and then a soft caress from the chilli at the end. In all, you can really taste the subtle blend of sauces, which when added to the noodles and vegetables creates a texture and taste that makes Pad Thai a lip-smacking experience.

For Noodles			For Sauce
Rice Noodles	- 1/2 of 12oz pack or 150 gms		Soy Sauce	- 2tbsps
Egg	- 2 medium scrambled		Rice Vinegar	- 2 tbsps
Onions	- 1/2 onion chopped   lengthwise		Chili Sauce or Sriracha Sauce	- 2 tbsps
Carrots	- 1/2 cup shredded		Tamarind Pulp	- 2 tbsps
Cabbage	- 1/2 cup shredded		Brown Sugar	- 3 tbsps
Moong bean Sprouts	- 1/2 cup		Oil	- 2 tbsps
Salt	- to taste
Tofu	- 1 cup cubbed
Flour	- 3 tbsps
Egg	- 1 medium (beaten)

Actual Pad Thai sauce includes Fish Sauce as one of its ingredient. I personally don’t like the smell and taste of fish sauce so I omit it. If you are using fish sauce, use 1 – 2 tbsps and use half the tamarind pulp.

The secret to a tasty Pad Thai is the balance of the sweetness, sourness and spiciness in the sauce. So, be careful with the quantity of the ingredients as the taste and concentration of the ingredients vary from brand to brand.

Combine ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. Taste the sauce to check if the balance is alright.Set aside.

Pat tofu dry with a tissue or a cloth. Roll tofu in flour and dip them in beaten egg. Heat oil in a pan; fry the tofu in hot oil until crisp and brown. Set aside.

Cook the rice noodles as per the directions on the packet or on the box of the noodles. When it is done, drain the water and set aside

Usually, you cook rice noodles by placing it in hot water.

Heat oil on high in a heavy bottom pan.

Optionally you can substitute oil with Peanut oil for the peanuty taste.

When the oil is really hot add all the vegetables and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes or until soft but still crisp.

Flavors in the sauce blend very well with the noodles when this dish is prepared on high flame.

Add prepared tofu, scrambled eggs and fry for a few minutes.

Shrimp or chicken adds an extra meaty flavor and complements very well with the Pad Thai sauce.

Now add the rice noodles and some salt and stir it to mix them all together.

Add the prepared Pad Thai sauce little by little to make sure you are not adding too much of sauce.

Give the noodles a nice stir. Taste it and adjust the ingredients if required.

Remove from heat and serve hot.