Pad Thai

I've been a little intimidated at the thought of cooking Asian recipes in the past because they usually have extensive lists of unfamiliar ingredients. This recipe is nice because it only has a few inexpensive ingredients that can keep a long time in the refrigerator. I picked up the rice noodles, palm sugar, chili paste, fish sauce and tamarind concentrate at Sam's Oriental in Little Rock, AR, but most Asian Grocers should have them.

Fresh Rice Noodles $1.98

I started by browning some chicken on the stove, but often use pork. Beef, tofu or tempeh would work well too. Meanwhile I boiled some water and dropped the fresh rice noodles in for just one minute, then drained them. The rice noodles keep for a long time in the refrigerator or freezer. Dried noodles would work too, they just have to be cooked longer.

Finally in a large pot, I heated 3 tablespoons of peanut oil and tossed in 3 minced cloves of garlic.  After about 30 seconds, I stirred in 3 tablespoons of the palm sugar (in a pinch I might substitute an unrefined sugar or a mix of light brown sugar and granulated sugar), 1 tablespoon chili paste, 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 2/3 cup tamarind concentrate.

Tamarind Concentrate $2.69, Palm Sugar $4.79, Chili Paste $3.99

Fish Sauce $1.29

When the mixture was bubbling, I added the noodles and mixed until they were coated in the sauce. To serve, I topped the noodles with the diced chicken, cilantro, green onions and crushed peanuts.

Pad Thai
(Serves 4)
3 Tbs Peanut Oil
3 Cloves of Garlic
3 Tbs Palm Sugar
1 Tbs Chili Paste
2 Tbs Fish Sauce
2/3 cup Tamarind Concentrate
1-16oz Package Rice Noodles
1/3 cup Peanuts
2 Green Onions
1 handful Cilantro
2 Chicken Breasts