Pad Thai Recipe

STOP! Put that take out menu down and step away from your phone. You don’t have to order in pad thai from your favorite Thai restaurant. You can make it at home. Its not really that hard, and you can save a few bucks. Yes, you’ll probably have to spend some money on some specialty ingredients, like the palm sugar, but you can reuse it to make thai tea, and of course more pad thai later. :) And if you’re like me, you’ll also have the satisfaction of cooking an exotic meal at home. 

The key to cooking the dish is an extremely HOT wok or large sauté pan. Keep a glass of water handy to splash 1 tablespoon at a time into the wok, to keep the food from burning. Oh, and there’s also that simple trick of removing the pan from the heat if you feel it’s too hot. For some reason a few folks seem to forget that. ;) Other than that, the recipe is pretty simple and rewarding. But don’t throw away that Thai restaurant menu just yet, you’ll need it to order your panang curry. :)

8 oz of rice sticks/ pad thai noodles

2 eggs, beaten

2T canola oil

1 chicken breast, boneless, skinless, sliced thin

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Sauce-

1t cayenne pepper

1/4C thai sweet chili sauce

2T chili garlic sauce

2T soy sauce

2T fish sauce

1T white vinegar

1 ½ T Palm sugar

Garnish-

2 green onions, cut into 1" strips

The following ingredients are options

3C bean sprouts

1/3C of peanuts, chopped

Cook noodles as indicated on package.

In a sauce pan add all the sauce ingredients; simmer until slightly thickened.

Heat wok pan on high heat. Add 2T of oil and add chicken and garlic. Cook until garlic is fragrant.

Add in the cooked noodles and toss to coat with oil.

Add in the sauce mixture, stir to coat the noodles.

Add the beaten egg in the center of the work and scramble it with the noodles. 

Adjust seasoning, add bean sprouts and green onions.

Remove from the pan, and serve with the chopped peanuts. 

Chicken Satay with a Peanut Dipping Sauce Recipe

Who needs take out when you can make this dish quickly, and for a fraction of the cost at home. The flavors hold true to Thai chicken satay and the peanut sauce is a creamy and sweet addition to the dish that takes it to another level. Your weekday chicken dinner has just been taken up a notch. 

You’re welcome. ;)

Chicken Satay-

1/2C coconut milk
1 clove garlic, minced
1t curry powder
1 1/2t brown sugar
1/2t salt
1/2t ground black pepper
1lb skinless, boneless chicken tenders
Stir together ½ cup coconut milk, garlic, 1 teaspoon curry powder, brown sugar, salt, and pepper until the sugar has dissolved. Add chicken to the mixture, cover, and marinate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat grill at medium-high heat.
Skewer the marinated chicken, grill for 4 - 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
Serve with warm peanut sauce.

Peanut Sauce- 

1C- coconut milk
1T curry powder
1/2C creamy peanut butter
3/4C chicken stock
1/4C brown sugar
2T lime or lemon juice
1t soy sauce
Salt to taste

Bring 1 cup coconut milk, curry powder, peanut butter, chicken stock, and cup brown sugar to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and soy sauce; season to taste with salt.

Turkey Larb Recipe

Commonly made with pork or duck, i’ve taken a classic Thai dish and added a healthy spin by making it out of turkey. It eliminates some of the fat, but keeps all the flavor. Traditionally a meat salad served over lettuce leaves, serving it with rice makes it a complete meal for my carb-oholics I have at home. They love it and although they don’t like the smell of fish sauce in the house, they love the tanginess and sweetness in the dish. 

Turkey Larb Recipe: 

½ lb. ground turkey 
1/4C onion, diced
2 T fish sauce
juice of 1 lime 
1 T brown sugar
½ t cayenne pepper
1 fresh minced green chili
½ t dried crushed red pepper flakes
3 green onions, sliced 
1 small red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
oil for stir fry

Place 2 Tbsp. oil in a wok over high heat. Add the diced onions, and ground turkey. As you stir-fry, add the fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, cayenne, green chili, and pepper flakes. 
If the wok becomes dry, add a bit of water. 
Stir-fry until turkey is cooked, about 8 minutes.
Toss in bell peppers, garlic, and green onions (reserve some green onions for garnish), sauté for an additional 2 minutes to warm the veggies. 

Garnish with green onions and serve with white rice.