Pad Thai with Shrimp

Recently I was in the mood for some Thai cooking so I decided to make this dish that I had seen made on the Food Network;  Sandra Lee’s Money Saving Meals.  It is extremely easy to make and quite tasty, coming very close in flavor to what I have eaten at a Thai restaurant located near us.  It is the kind of recipe that is very flexible, leaving you lots of room for additions and substitutions.  For example instead of the shrimp you could use chicken or tofu,  add green peas for some additional vegetables and color,  use thin spaghetti instead of rice noodles, and add peanut butter to the sauce if you like more peanut flavor or leave it out completely.  The spice level can also be adjusted by using more or less chile sauce.

This meal could be completely vegetarian by using tofu, and vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth called for.  Although the recipe’s yield is for  four servings, my husband and I ate all of it at one sitting.  It was so good, in fact, we devoured it.  I really like this recipe for its versatility and I am sure I will be making it again.

Recipe:   PAD THAI

Yield:   4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1  (8-ounce) package rice noodles
  

  Having everything prepped in advance means this dish goes together in a snap. (Pretend you see 2 eggs here!)

• 2 Tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 Tablespoon chile sauce
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 carrot, grated
• 3 scallions,  thinly sliced
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped, for garnish ( I did not use these.)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and turn off the heat.  Add the rice noodles and let them soften, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Drain.

2.  In a wok or large saute pan, over high heat, add 1 Tablespoon oil.  When it is hot, add the eggs and cook until they are firm.  Remove them from the pan and let them cool a bit.  Roughly chop them and set aside.

3.  in the same pan, add the shrimp and sauté just until pink and cooked through. Set aide with the egg.

3.  In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, chile sauce, lime juice, garlic, and broth.  Set aside.

4.  Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon oil to the pan along with the carrots, scallions, and bean sprouts and stir fry 1 minute.

Stir frying the vegetables.

Add the reserved eggs, shrimp, noodles and sauce, stirring to coat everything completely.

Add noodles, shrimp, eggs, and sauce.

Cook for another minute or so to warm everything through.  Serve garnished with peanuts and cilantro.

A delicious and very enjoyable meal.

SOURCE:   Sanda Lee’s  Thrifty Thai,  Food Network