Monday, April 28, 2008

American Style Pad Thai

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I made Pad Thai not too long ago, and I wasn't too thrilled with it. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it was (to my knowledge) a fairly authentic Thai recipe. And I'm an American, and I wanted totally inauthentic, American style Pad Thai. Pad American, if you will. ; ) So that's what I made tonight. Pad Thai with a bright pinkish reddish sauce that heavily features ketchup. That's right!

And it hit the spot. Total comfort food. Yummy!

Look at that pinkish reddish goodness!

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American Style Pad Thai

1 lb Thai rice noodles
2 cups mung bean sprouts
6 Tbsp ketchup
6 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 block extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into small cubes
2 eggs
2 cups shredded carrot
1 bunch green onions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
chopped peanuts, crushed red pepper, sugar and vinegar, if desired

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove from heat, add rice noodles, and soak 2 to 3 minutes, until softened. Meanwhile, place bean sprouts in a strainer in the sink. When noodles are softened, pour over the bean sprouts in the colander. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients: ketchup, lime juice, brown sugar and fish sauce. Set aside.

Wipe out the pot, return to heat, and add vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook for several minutes, until just beginning to brown. Drain tofu on paper towels, and discard all but a trace amount of oil. Return to heat. Whisk eggs lightly and add to pot, quickly scrambling. Add noodles, bean sprouts, carrots, green onions and sauce. Toss several minutes to distribute vegetables and sauce, until heated through.

Serve with chopped peanuts, crushed red pepper, sugar and vinegar for topping, if desired.

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I prefer the "American" style too. There was only one place around where I lived that served this style of Pad Thai but they closed down. :(

I think I'm going to try this recipe out. thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hey, just wanted to let you know I made this and my boyfriend and I both thought it was awesome. It was really easy to make, too. Thanks for posting!

~ said...

THANK YOU!!! for this recipe! I'been looking forever and can only find "authentic" recipes. This was exactly what I wanted. :)

The only thing I did differently was add a teaspoon of paprika and a sprinkle of black pepper. Such an easy recipe, and I'll save some money by making it at home, too :)

Kristl said...

This is EXACTLY the recipe I have been looking for. We usually pay an exorbitant amount for Pad Thai at our favorite restaurant...but I think I've found the alternative! Thank you SO SO much!!!

Cheryl said...

Glad I could help! It's so delicious!

Jessie said...

I made this tonight and it was great! Only thing I'd like to mention is that it would have been nice to know how many servings I was making... Most Pad Thai recipes make about 2 servings, and since I was cooking for 3, I decided to double this recipe. Needless to say, I have Pad Thai coming out my EARS!

As far as I can tell, the original recipe makes about 4 to 6 servings.