August 16, 2012

Pad Thai Noodles with Chicken and Prawn

Serves: 2 as main at dinner

Preparation time: 20 mins including making Pad Thai Sauce
Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients

1- Chicken breast fillet
100g cooked and peeled king prawns
1 Egg
1- Large onion or shallot
2- Red chilies (optional)
1- Tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1- Tablespoon finely chopped garlic
100g bean sprouts
300g Rice noodles (cooked as per the instruction on the packet). If you cannot find it, any noodles will do. I some time cook the dish with maggi and tastes yummy.
½-teaspoon ground black pepper
3-tablespoon oil
Chopped coriander for garnishing
3 tablespoon roasted salted peanuts (preferably crushed)
Salt to taste (remember pad Thai sauce will have salt in it due to use of soy sauce)

For Pad Thai Sauce:

2 tablespoon tamarind paste (the quanity should be based on how sour you like your pad Thai)
4-tablespoon fish sauce ( optional, use rice wine instead)
4 table spoon soy sauce
½-tablespoon hot chili sauce
Pinch of ground black pepper
5-teaspoon palm or brown sugar (if you do not have them at home, then use any sugar that you have. You might need more sugar to balance the sourness depending on your taste)

Method of making Pad Thai Sauce:

1. Mix all ingredients and stir to dissolve. It might take some time for the sugar to melt.
2. When all the ingredients have melt, the sauce is ready to use.

Note: you will find many other method of making the sauce. This measurement is mine based on how l like my Pad Thai. I always make sure that when I am eating my pad thai noodles, it should taste sweet at first, spicy second and sour at last. For the right balance add more chili or sugar or tamarind until you get it right for your taste. However, remember that a good Pad thai tastes in Sweet-spice-and sour order in your mouth.

Method for making Pad Thai Noodle:
1.   Heat a wok or frying on low to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Fry the chicken breast on both sides until sides are golden brown and the chicken is done. It will be not be fried, as the oil is really less, rather will be pan roasted. You can sprinkle little water in case chicken sticks at the bottom
2. When the chicken cools down, slice the chicken and set aside
3.   Heat the same wok or frying pan (clean the chicken residue from the wok or pan with a paper towel in that case). Add rest of the oil and heat. Fry the ginger and garlic until you can smell the aroma but do not make them brown. Add onion and stir-fry. Add chili
4.   Add the cooked prawn and cooked chicken and stir-fry.
5.   Add the cooked noodles, bean sprouts and stir fry
6.   Add Pad thai sauce and stir to coat. Make sure it is little wet. If you feel the sauce is not enough and the noodle is dry, add little fish sauce and soy sauce
7.    Fry the egg in separate pan (scrambled egg) and add with the noodles.
8.    Fry for another 3/4 mins. Sprinkle coriander and half the peanuts
9.    Add salt depending on taste. Also, be careful, as you have used fish sauce, which has salt. Sprinkle black pepper
10.   To serve, place the noodle in two pasta plates and sprinkle the remaining peanuts and garnish with coriander.