pad thai

It was our wedding anniversary last week and I wanted to make something special and different for dinner to celebrate. A few weeks ago I had the chance to head up to Idaho and take a Thai cooking course and decided to give it a go. Surprisingly enough, this recipe for Pad Thai was a lot simpler than I was anticipating!

Ingredients for Sauce:

3/4 cup ketchup {to substitute tamarind paste, trust me!}

1/4 cup fish sauce

2 T. lime juice

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup Sriracha sauce {this stuff is SPICY... you might not want to use this much!}

Remaining Ingredients:

16 oz. rice noodles, linguini size

1 chicken breast, slivered or 10 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup canola oil

2 t. garlic, minced

2 shallots, thinly sliced

3 eggs

2 t. sugar

2 cups bean sprouts, washed

1 bunch green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

fresh cilantro

Directions:

Mix sauce ingredients and set aside. Soak the rice noodles in hot water for 30 minutes to soften (Don't over soak!). Heat oil in wok or skillet, saute garlic and shallots for about 30 seconds. Add meat and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Push veggies and meat to the side and add eggs, letting them cook for a few minutes. Drain noodles and add to skillet, stir fry everything together. Add sauce and combine well. Add bean sprouts, onion and sugar. Combine. Transfer to a bowl or dish and sprinkle with red pepper and cilantro. Voila!

*This makes A LOT. You might want to split in half, or invite some friends over!