One of the most amazing things about my life this semester is that I'm living with two really incredible roommates. I can't emphasize enough how fulfilling it is to share good conversation, laugh, and embark on spontaneous adventures with them each week. One added bonus is that they're both amazing chefs!
Frances works wonders with vegetables and grains- I once claimed not to bat an eyelash at brussels sprouts, but after tasting her brussels sprouts- enhanced tabbouleh I fell in love with them. That said, I'm so lucky that she was willing to post this delicious pad thai recipe (which I definitely savored both hot and cold this past week!) Enjoy! -Kelsey
Part of the fun of cooking pad Thai is the melody of sizzle, crackle, pop, hiss that results from tossing cold, watery onions and mung beans into a wok full of hot peanut oil. Because of the heat intrinsic to preparing pad Thai and the fact that Berkeley experienced an unexpected heat wave this week, I couldn’t bring myself to start cooking until the sun had set and the air had cooled, around 8:30 in April. The disgustingly hot weather had stinted my appetite during the day, and pad Thai proved itself nutritious dinner I needed.
Pad Thai is a noodle dish with broccoli, spinach, and mung beans and is high in vegetarian protein from tofu, egg, and peanuts. The ingredients for the sauce are simple, just peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar, but their interaction creates the tantalizing blend of sweet, sour, and saltiness characteristic of Asian cuisine. Each component of the dish absorbs the flavors differently so that every bite is unique.
Pad Thai makes great leftovers if you can’t finish the entire batch in one night. Don’t worry if you lack a microwave, it’s just as delicious cold and makes a refreshing lunch.
Most of this recipe comes from Mollie Katzen’s Still Life with Menu but the spinach and broccoli are my dad’s ingenious additions. Enjoy!
Pad Thai
6 oz. uncooked rice noodles
5 tablespoons soy sause
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons peanut oil
3 eggs
6 scallions, sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 lb. fresh mung bean sprouts
1 lb. spinach
1 lb. broccoli florets
3 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 lb. firm tofu cut into small cubes
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups chopped toasted peanuts
wedges of lime
1. Cook your noodles in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
2. Mix the soy sauce, peanut butter, and brown sugar into a thick paste.
3. Scramble the egg in a tablespoon of hot peanut oil and set aside.
4. Heat the wok. Add more peanut oil. Stir fry scallions, garlic, mung beans, red pepper, broccoli, and spinach for a few minutes. Next add the tofu and stir fry and couple more minutes. Add the noodles (make sure they're completely drained) and stir fry about 5 more minutes.
5. Add the paste from step two and vinegar. Stir and cover. Let it cook for several more minutes.
6. Lastly, add the scrambled egg.
7. Serve with toasted peanuts and lime.
Pad Thai was the most heavenly break in my sublimely monotonous days hiking in the high sierra mountains. Creating tasty meals for the trail took some genius but the powdered coconut milk worked wonders with the garlic, Tabasco, peanut butter, and rice noodles.
ReplyDeletei doubt that john muir would have traded in his tackbread but i am me...and me likes to savor my well earned dinner while i savor the vast beauty of the wilderness...my first lover...my first heartbreak.
Peter-Econ!