Wednesday Food Blogging: Pad Thai

Pad Thai, on the fly.

Sometimes, the best-laid foodie plans go awry. This especially happens when I refuse to follow a recipe, or try to combine two or more recipes for a similar dish.

Yesterday I wanted to make Pad Thai, but I didn't have some of the essential ingredients, namely bean sprouts and ginger. So I went to Tesco and bought bean sprouts but forgot ginger. No worries; I'll use the dried kind. But then I forgot to add the bean sprouts to the finished product. I also forgot to add the red chiles I'd bought to spice it up. And, I burned the first batch of peanuts I was toasting and had to start all over. Sometimes I'm just a mess in the kitchen.

Today I heated up the leftovers for lunch and added the neglected bean sprouts. Perfection is a journey we must continually embark upon but rarely reach. I think maybe Confucius or someone said that, or maybe I just made it up. Like I did this recipe, on the fly.

For directions, which you really should read at least once while you're cooking, click below.

Pad Thai

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1/2 lb tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 cup broccoli florets

1 package rice noodles

1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup chopped coriander/cilantro
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
lime wedges

Sauce:
juice of 2 limes (about 1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce

In 1 tablespoon of oil, saute the tofu with the ginger and 1/2 the garlic. Turn the tofu as it browns, until it is mostly golden brown. Set aside.

In the same wok or saute pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and add the vegetables: onion, carrots, broccoli, and the remaining garlic. Saute about five minutes.

Cook the noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and whiz until blended. Set aside.

Assemble the dish: Toss the noodles with the vegetables and the tofu, adding sauce as you stir, until the mixture is consistently blended. Add bean sprouts, peanuts, coriander, and sliced green onions. Serve with lime wedges.

Comments

[KathyR]

I do that: mash two or three recipes for the same thing together to match my ingredients or degree of laziness. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it sort of implodes.

Lunch looks tasty.

[Cookiecrumb]

I used shredded cabbage once when I didn't have any bean sprouts. Bad Thai. But really, not bad.

[Jeremy Mahler]

Arrived via slashfood. I am definitely trying this recipe next week with my kids - very cool. Some pad Thai recipes are insanely complicated, so I've never bothered (as much as I love cooking and consider myself a foodie, I am a single dad with 2 kids and work fulltime, so... yeah :)). Thank you!

[KathyF]

Good luck, Jeremy. It's a very flexible recipe.

[Diane]

I love Thai and can't wait to try this recipe. I definately would add the heat from some chili peppers. Thai wouldn't be Thai without heat.