Pad Thai

I  made Pad Thai for my friend Ken’s 71st birthday, and everyone was happy with how it turned out.  It also turned out to be pretty special: as it happens, it was the first time Ken had had Thai food since being stationed as an aircraft mechanic in Thailand in 1969, during the Vietnam War. This is the kind of recipe that can be varied, and the version I make has a short cut: I use jarred pad thai master sauce. I have made the sauce entirely from scratch, but I don’t keep all the ingredients on hand, and when I do buy them, I often end up throwing some of them out. So I go for the pre-made sauce, and try to use fresh ingredients otherwise. You can add more spice to taste–in the form of hot peppers, hot pepper flakes, or sriracha or sambal oelek.

Ingredients
1 lb. pad thai rice noodles
2 inches ginger,  peeled and minced
5 garlic cloves, minced
4-5 Thai bird peppers, (optional)
1 bunch green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced, kept separate
1 cup bean sprouts
3 carrots, shredded, or finely julienned
1 lb. shrimp
1/2 cup pre-made pad thai sauce or homemade
2-3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
3 limes, 1 for juice, 2 quartered for garnish
3/4 cup chopped unsalted dry roasted peanuts
soy sauce
sriracha or sambal oelek

Prepare rice noodles according to package instructions, and set aside.
In wok or large sauté pan, begin by stir-frying ginger, garlic, white parts of green onion, and Thai bird peppers (if using) until fragrant, and add bean sprouts and carrots, sauté until beginning to soften, and add shrimp, and cook until just turning pink, add pad thai sauce and peanut butter, and stir-fry until sauce coats shrimp and vegetables. Add noodles, and stir-fry until noodles are incorporated with shrimp mixture. Add green onions and stir, adjust seasonings, add soy sauce to taste. I like to put the whole recipe into a large platter, and garnish with cilantro, chopped peanuts, and quartered limes. Squeeze lime on when serving, and pass sriracha or sambel oelek. You can vary the vegetables and meat, and you can also use tofu. The jarred prepared pad thai sauce is available at Asian markets, or, as I mention above, you can also make your own.