Pad Thai

We love Alton Brown in our household. We own all of his cookbooks and find his recipes to be (relatively) simple and delicious. (As previously mentioned, his guacamole is bananas.) His recipe for pad thai is no different, and has become a staple in our menu planning. The key? Prep work! Get all of your ingredients assembled in small bowls BEFORE heating the wok.

 PAD THAI

*Via Alton Brown

1 oz tamarind paste

3/4 C boiling water

2 Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp palm sugar (I've always used granulated sugar.)

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

4 oz rice stick noodles

6 oz Tofu (Another change - I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Usually 2 or 3, depending on the size.)

1-2 Tbsp peanut oil

1 C chopped scallions

2 Tsp minced garlic

2 whole eggs, beaten

3 oz bean sprouts

1/2 C chopped peanuts

1 lime, cut into wedges

*Place the tamarind paste in the boiling water and set aside.

*Combine fish sauce, sugar and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl & set aside.

*Place noodles in a shallow dish and cover with hot water. (This is where we've had some issues - the package says soak for 30-45 minutes. Not long enough and they are too hard. Too long and they are gummy. It's a work in progress!)

*Measure out all other ingredients into small bowls. Again, this will make your life easier!

*Press tamarind through a fine mesh strainer and add to the fish sauce mixture.

*Heat a wok over high heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp of the peanut oil.

*Cook chicken (or tofu) until done - just a few minutes. Remove from wok and drain.

*If necessary, add 1 Tbsp of peanut oil to the wok and heat until shimmering.

*Add 2/3 of the scallions and garlic. Cook for 10-15 seconds.

*Add eggs; once eggs begin to set, stir to scramble.

*Add the remaining ingredients in the following order and toss after each addition: noodles, fish sauce mixture, 2/3 of the bean sprouts, peanuts and chicken.

*Toss everything until heated through, but no longer than 2 minutes.

*Garnish with remaining bean sprouts, scallions, peanuts and a lime wedge.

YUM!