Cooking Lesson #986: The Oriental Bangkok’s Pad Thai

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? My executive chef, Spencer, used to tell me the magical thing about Pad Thai is the way it layers flavor with texture. It’s bright, hot, nutty, salty, sweet, and full of umami, a perfectly balanced complexity that belies the stir-fry ease of the dish.
 
It’s also the rare dish that everyone agrees on—I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love Pad Thai. For all those reasons, it’s a meal maker’s dream—it’s fun to make it for other folks because you always get more than 100% appreciation back on your cooking effort.
 
According to food histories, Pad Thai is based on the Chinese culinary tradition of stir fries. Kway teow is Chinese for rice noodles and pad is fried in Thai, so the name roughly translates to ‘Thai-style stir-fried noodles.’ It was either invented or introduced to Thailand in the 1930s, a pivotal time in the country’s politics, when its leaders were trying to both westernize and build national unity (Refer to the King & I Movie). Street vendors were encouraged to make Pad Thai as an expression of Thai cuisine, but also to help the country through an economically difficult time—rice noodles, stir fried veggies and very little protein add up to a satisfying yet inexpensive meal.
 
The dish takes the bulk of its flavor from a sauce made with tamarind paste, fish sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar. If you don’t have tamarind paste, you can replicate its signature sour-sweet flavor with pomegranate molasses and lime juice—as I’ve done here. The result is a close approximation to tradition: a tangy, umami-riffic sauce that clings to the noodles and the dish’s many other ingredients.
 
For protein, I use chicken. The chicken is nice and chewy and brings some fat to the dish. The chicken gets tossed into a wonderful jumble with the aromatics, chewy noodles, veggies—bean sprouts, shallots, and green onions—and that beautiful sauce. Add the crunchy peanuts and bright cilantro leaves, and you’re all set.
 
Pad Thai is a fantastic dinner. It’s also impressive for weekend lunches and, given the egg, I’d even fry up a big batch for brunch. It pairs well with deep, dark, chewy, roasty beers, like porters or stouts, or a glass of Fume or Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling.
 
Ingredients 
For the Pad Thai sauce
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2-1/2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (see ChefSecret)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
 
For the Pad Thai
4 ounces dry Pad Thai white rice noodles
3 teaspoons peanut oil, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 chicken breast, sliced into ¼”-thick strips
6 ounces extra-firm tofu, patted dry and cut into ½ x ½ x 2” batons
2 shallots, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 large eggs
1 pinch salt
2 cups bean sprouts, plus more for garnish
4 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, finely chopped, for garnish
1/3 cup cilantro, leaves only, for garnish
6 lime wedges, for garnish
Chili oil, for serving
 
Directions 
To make the Pad Thai sauce

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar, fish sauce, pomegranate molasses, lime juice, soy sauce, water and white pepper. Set aside.

To make the Pad Thai noodles

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the pad Thai noodles in a large heatproof bowl and pour the hot water over the noodles, making sure they are submerged. Let sit until al dente, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Stir to loosen the noodles, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
4.  Add the chicken and extra-firm tofu strips, sprinkle with 2 pinches of kosher salt, and cook, tossing occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through; 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Transfer the chicken and tofu to a plate.
6. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon peanut oil in the skillet. Add the shallots and cook until softened; about 3 minutes.
7. Stir in the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant; about 30 seconds.
8. Push the shallot mixture to the side and reduce the heat to medium-low.
9. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the eggs and a pinch of salt.
10. Pour the eggs into the empty side of the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until scrambled and mostly cooked through; 1 to 2 minutes. Push the eggs to the side.
11. Add the noodles, chicken, tofu, bean sprouts, green onions and Pad Thai sauce. Increase the heat to high, toss to combine, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.
12. Transfer the finished Pad Thai to a large warm serving dish.
13. Garnish with additional bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, cilantro leaves and lime wedges.
14. Drizzle with chili oil, if desired.

ChefSecret:  If you can find tamarind paste, use 4 tablespoons of that instead of the pomegranate molasses and lime juice mixture. For added heat and a little color, feel free to add slivers of red chile.

Quip of the Day:  I never knew tofu could be this good! Honestly it never o-curd to me.
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