Pad Thai (Thailand)- The World on My Plate Series!

Almost two decades ago, when Chinese food first came to the country; there was a barrage of dark red carts all over the streets. Over the years, the Indian palette was bombarded with MSG coated dishes. Then came Thai food, which some of my friends described as "Kooch Chinese Jaisa" (Something like Chinese), but very spicy. Thankfully, with the internet coming in and the advancement in travel, that trend changed. Today, fine dines and even normal restaurants are trying to replicate authentic Chinese and Thai food. 

Coming to the point, I have tried my hand at many a Chinese dishes and with a reasonable amount of success. But I always believed that cooking Thai food is an art. Literally. Achieving the right balance of flavours, the texture and some of the ingredients, which until recently were exotic and purchasing them would mean you pay and arm and a leg. Made sense to actually drop by at the nearest Thai restaurant or takeaway and grab a bite. But then, it left you with a sense of void, a feeling that this same bowl of curry should be replicated at home. It should be!! I waited for an opportune moment.

The World on my plate gave me the opportunity. As I read, spoke, tweeted, I realised there was a dish that is symbolic to Thai street food as the two versions of curries.The choice was made; the dish that would be Pad Thai(pronounced Pud- Tha-e). Strangely for its status symbol is very rarely cooked in Thai homes. It is more of a street food and is available for as less as a dollar. So, I decided to go the entire way and make it with prawns. Personally, I have faith that prawns can single handedly make anything taste good.

The path was not as difficult as I thought.  All went as per plan and the rice noodles which I was making for the first time, behaved like a well mannered school kid, turning out just the way I liked. How did it Pad Thai fare? All of us wished there were more noodles that night. 

Give it a try, It will be fun. And whatever you do, dont break the noodles, they represent long life.

Pad Thai

Ingredients:

• 1 Pack Glass Noodles (or rice Noodles)- Refer Note 1 below
• 5 tablespoons Pad Thai Sauce- Refer Note 2 below
• 3 teaspoons oil
• 7-8 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 small bunch, spring onion,  sliced
• 1 small carrot, julienned
• 1 Thai Chilli, finely chopped Or 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 100 grams firm tofu, cut into fine pieces OR use 100 grams of Cottage cheese, Shredded chicken or prawns to suit your taste 
• 50 grams, sprouted beans
• 2 teaspoons, oyster sauce
• Juice of Half a lime
• 80 grams unsalted peanuts, crushed.
• Few coriander leaves, for garnishing

Method:

• Cook the noodles as instructed on the pack and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a wok and when the oil is smoking hot, add the garlic and saute till it is aromatic.
• Next add the spring onions, chillies, bean sprouts and carrots do quick stirs. Then add the tofu (or chicken, prawn, cottage cheese) and mix well.
• Add the noodles, the oyster sauce and the Pad Thai sauce and give a good mix so that all the vegetables are coated well with the sauce.
• Sprinkle the lime juice and toss the peanuts.
• Garnish with corriander leaves and serve immediately.

Important Notes

1. Cooking the rice noodles: Most packs available at super/ hyper markets will have instructions on cooking the noodles. Please follow the instructions carefully, as the rice noodles tend to get squishy very quickly. Incase the pack doesnt have instructions, all you need to do is heat sufficient water to boiling point. Then take it off the heat and immerse the noodles in the water, till they are soft and a bit chewy and not mushy. The rest of the cooking will be done in the wok.
2. Pad Thai Sauce: This Sauce is actually the base of this dish and this is what gives the right balance of all flavors. Ready made Pad Thai sauces are available at online gourmet stores and super/ hypermarkets. But, if you like me, prefer making your own seasonings, here is how to make it. Soak tamarind (about the size of a tennis ball) in 100 ml warm water for a few minutes. Discard the seeds and squeeze the juice from the pulp.  Add in 2 teaspoons fish sauce (or soya sauce), 1 teaspoon palm sugar (or brown sugar) and 1 teaspoon chilli flakes (or chilli powder). Heat the mixture in a small sauce pan till it simmers. Remove from flame and cool.

Honey, Chilli and Garlic Noodles- Kid's Special Recipe

Movies, many a times reflect life. Life as it is. Life as it should be. I recently happened to watch the movie “The Lunchbox”. A deftly made movie, in which the both the male and female protagonist don’t meet; they communicate with each other through a series of notes sent through a “dabba” (lunchbox) that has been wrongly delivered. The Lunchbox hits the right spot when it so gracefully touches the trials, tribulations, fears and hopes of the people of Mumbai. There are many problems that the female protagonist tackles in the movie. One among them is the eternal question of what to pack in her husband’s and daughter’s lunch box. Trivial as it may seem, this is one of the more pertinent questions faced by most mothers today at least in this city. On one level, in a vastly commercialised junk food world, it is about keeping the kid interested in the lunch. Then, at another level, it is about maintaining the nutrition level. Add to it, kids these days are well informed; if you fail to convince them about something on the plate, be rest assured that it won’t be eaten.  

So then, what’s the solution we may ask? The way out to me would be to have the kids menu designed in a manner that appeals to them. Few thoughtful touches would make a huge differences, abundance of colours, shapes could do. Another thing could be done is involve them in the kitchen, time permitting small jobs for example, buttering the bread could be theirs.

And so, here is one recipe that should definitely appeal to all kids and as well as adults. Yes, a noodles recipe. Most kids love noodles and I have kept it very simple, incorporating the basic flavours. The good thing is it came of well. Just the chillies and honey to suit juniors taste. Another suggestion is try not to break the noodles when cooking them. There is a certain pleasure in slurping the long noodles.

Hope you like this one and when juniors home, I do hope you get the response that is a famous ad running on TV these days “Dhabba Khaali; pet full”!

Honey, Chilli and Garlic Noodles

Ingredients:

• 400 grams noodles of your choice
• 80 grams garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons, soya sauce
• 3 teaspoons, oil
• Juice of half a lime
• 40 grams, red chilli flakes
• 3 tablespoons, honey
• 1 tablespoon, sesame seeds

Procedure:

• Cook the noodles as instructed on the pack till they are al dente (75% done). Once cooked, keep them under running water for a while and add a teaspoon of oil to prevent them from sticking. You could add salt now to the noodles.
• Whisk the soya sauce and lemon juice together in a bowl and add the red chilli flakes. Keep aside.
• Now, heat the remaining oil in wok or a heavy pan and add the garlic. Cook on a high flame for 2 minutes or till the garlic is reddish brown and has started releasing a pleasant aroma.
• Once the garlic has browned, add the soya sauce and lemon emulsion and give it a quick mix.
• Add the noodles in small batches tossing well each time. 
• Once all the noodles are well coated with the soya sauce, and the honey and toss again for a final time.
• Garnish with the sesame seeds and serve hot.