This is an exercise in pre-production. Mise en place, indeed. 1-ounce tamarind paste
3/4 cup boiling water, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons palm sugar, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, 4 ounces rice stick noodles, 6 ounces Tofu, 1 to 2 tablespoons peanut oil, 1 cup chopped scallions, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 2 whole eggs beaten, 2 teaspoons salted cabbage, 3 ounces bean sprouts, 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, freshly ground dried red chile peppers to taste, 1 lime, cut into wedges. I’m exhausted just typing all that.
I don’t use a wok, just a jumbo cast iron skillet. The ingredient firing order is important. First, goes the Tofu. Cook it on its own, then remove from the pan. Next is garlic, scallions, eggs, cabbage, sprouts then, all the other stuff. Half hour of prep and four minutes of cooking.
This dish is extremely not local and I don’t care. Making it gives me the opportunity to go shopping at MT Supermarket (live turtles and all). Dinner for four = $10 grocery bill. In this time of woe and want, you can’t beat that.
MT Supermarket : 10901 North Lamar Boulevard Austin, TX
WHOA. Pad thai is my specialty, and I daresay that yours sounds better. Less lazy, anyway. I do the shortcut thing and use some pre-prepared sauce (but NOT pad thai sauce…sweet pad thai is the bane of my existence).
Maybe we should have a pad-thai-off.
Mmmmmmm. Pad-Thai-Off.
My inner Asian-mom had a knee jerk reaction, and my first inclination was to respond with a “well why didn’t you prepare your in a way?!” but then I read the comments and was reminded that people do things in different ways that makes food evolve and rewarding to share.
Pad thai-off indeed!
I am much too lazy to make pad thai. Kelle has made about a 60% version of yours, but nothing that yummy looking. I’m always disappointed in pad thai. Just not the dish for me. I like my thai food spicy as hell!
Chris, you can spice up your pad thai with sa-té or nam prig pow! This is the same chili paste that goes in tom yum.