If you needed proof that I paid attention in class then last night was the time to check. Bunkin Banu is AWOL for three days. I decided to cook rather than order out. A Pad Thai. Part of my course at the Asia Scenic Cooking School at Chiang Mai. I got most of the ingredients at the local Pali Market. Except fresh Pad Thai noodles which I substituted with flat Chinese noodles. And I didn’t use tofu as we don’t get fresh Tofu here and I am sure that the Japanese tofu would disintegrate if fried. Didn’t buy the soft onion either as I would have to buy a kilo.
So here’s the recipe for the Pad Thai noodles:
Prep: pre boil 200g flat noodles and keep aside
- Heat 4 tablespoons of oil. I use Olive. Any vegetable oil would do
- Add a tablespoon of finely chopped garlic
- Once the garlic turns cream in colour, add 250 g of chopped boneless chicken (the original recipe calls for tofu too). I used leg cuts which I get from Meghna Agro at Pali Naka, Bandra
- Stir till the chicken becomes whitish and is cooked
- Move chicken to one side of the pan with a ladle
- In the remaining liquid (a mix of oil and chicken fat add a tablespoon ff sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce (no more salt required) and 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce. These sauces are fairly easily available at Grocery stores at Bandra, Nature’s Basket…Crawford Market of course
- Crack 1 to 2 egg on this. Let the egg firm a bit
- Add the boiled noodles and toss in the egg so that the egg begins to coat the noodles. Add 2 tablespoons of water and let the water dry up
- Push in the chicken from the side and stir vigorously
- Add a bowl full of diced carrots and spring onions and chopped bell peppers. Stir and switch off gas. You want the vegetables to retain their crunch.
- Top with bean sprouts and serve
I was a bit nervous as K doesn’t like flat or soft noodles but she apparently liked this.
I did too. Specially the part that I came home from the gym and cooked it. Hardly took any time or effort to be honest.
