Pad Thai Tuesday.  That’s a thing right?  No? Well, I’m making it a thing.

You might remember a while back that my boss asked me what my favorite thing was to cook and I had a hard time answering that.  Well, I’ve noticed over the last week that all the recipes I’ve posted here are my favorite things!

My favorite things (in no particular order):

1. Chicken Tikka Masala
2. Shrimp & Grits
3. Short Rib Ragu
4. PAD THAI!!

Well, now that I think about it, if it’s made it to the blog it is probably one of my favorite things. LOL!

Back to Pad Thai Tuesday.  When I first embarked on a journey to make a quick weeknight pad thai I didn’t really know where to start.  I love pad thai but every recipe I found took a lot of ingredients I couldn’t find at my local grocery store.  Luckily I have access to some great international markets but I don’t always have the time to do that.  After a LOT of trial and error over the years I have finally mastered a quick, easy recipe using ingredients I always have in my pantry.

Pad Thai

Serves 2

Olive oil

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
12 large frozen shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined
4 oz. dried, wide flat rice noodles
1 disc palm sugar, crushed (or 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar)
1 Tablespoon tamarind paste (or 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar)
3 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup shredded carrots
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
To serve: fresh minced cilantro, chopped salted peanuts, lime wedges, sliced green onions, siracha

Soak noodles according to package instructions. Drain.

In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, tamarind paste, soy sauce, and fish sauce.

Heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 2-3 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan. Add shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes or starting to turn translucent. Remove from pan.

Heat a little more oil in the same pan. Add half the scallions, garlic, and carrots and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add eggs and cook, scraping skillet with spatula until eggs are almost set (about 30 seconds). Remove from pan.

Add noodles, the rest of the scallions, and sauce to skillet. Cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft (about 1 minute). Add chicken, shrimp, and egg mixture and toss to coat.

Serve in big bowls topped with cilantro, peanuts, green onions, lime wedges and a squirt of siracha.

Source: Ruth’s Table, 2017