Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Saturday Night Pad Thai


This recipe is great for a cold Saturday evening when you’re craving a take-out-Chinese-food-fix, but don’t feel like venturing out into bad weather.   The sauce is rich with a nice peanut essence, but not too heavy. 

Ingredients You Will Need:
For the Peanut Sauce:
  • 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
  • 2/3 cup evaporated Milk
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

For the Pad Thai:
  • 8 oz. uncooked linguine
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 & 1/4 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 & 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • Lime wedges from 2 limes
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (or more if you are adventurous)
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 6 oz. boneless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped into tiny pieces
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 2 cups fresh bean sprouts
  • 1 cup of chopped green onions
  • 1 cup of chopped carrots
  • 1/3 cup chopped peanuts, divided

Directions:
Step 1:  Dump peanut butter, evaporated milk, ginger, and soy sauce in a blender or food processor.  If you are using a blender, don’t forget to cover it before you hit “blend”—unless you want a big mess! Blend ingredients until smooth, about 30 seconds. You should have around 1 cup of sauce, which can be set aside for now. 

Step 2:  Next, cook the linguine according to the directions on the package.  You can do step 3 while the pasta is cooking.

Step 3:  In a small bowl, mix the sugar, water, ketchup, soy sauce.  Depending on the juiciness of your limes, squeeze in one or two wedges of lime.  You should end up adding about one teaspoon of lime juice. 
Step 4:  When your pasta is done cooking, drain the water and set it aside in a bowl.  Keep it covered and out of the way for now. 

Step 5:  Pour the vegetable oil in a large skillet and heat it up a little using medium-high heat.  Next, add your chicken and minced garlic.  Cook the chicken thoroughly, stirring occasionally.   To ensure that your chicken is fully cooked, cut into one of the larger pieces and examine the center of the meat for pink.  Pink meat = NOT COOKED, so please be sure that you do not see any pink. 

Step 6:  Once you’ve fully cooked your chicken, stir in the cooked linguine noodles, stirring quickly to keep it from sticking to the skillet. Pour the ketchup mixture from earlier over noodles.   Heat it all on medium for 2 minutes or until the sauce is absorbed.  Stir constantly to help the liquid get absorbed. 

Step 7:  Push the noodles to one side of the skillet, making enough room for the egg to cook. Add the beaten egg to your skillet, stirring until it’s cooked through. Stir in all your veggies, half of the bean sprouts, and half of the peanuts.

Step 8:  With a large serving spoon, pile skillet noodle mixture onto large serving plates.  You should be able to fill two standard dinner plates with a little leftover. Pour half of the peanut sauce on the center of each noodle pile.  Sprinkle both piles with the rest of the peanuts and bean sprouts. Squeeze 2 lime wedges over noodles and garnish with the remaining wedges. Put the remaining peanut sauce in a small dish so that diners can add more to taste.   

Step 9:  Enjoy!!!

Suggested Wine Pairing:  Bully Hill’s Traminette.  This delightful white is sweet and fruity with a gentle spicy undertone.  Its peach and lychee flavors go well with poultry and Asian fare, so it will go well with your Saturday Night Pad Thai.  

*Inspiration for the above recipe can be attributed to the following site: http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/137792/At-Home-Pad-Thai-with-Creamy-Peanut-Sauce/detail.aspx

2 comments:

  1. This recipe looks amazing, and I'm especially impressed by the wine pairing! I cannot wait to try it - I wonder if the Wegmans out here sells upstate NY wines?

    Great job Dee! Keep the good stuff coming :)

    ReplyDelete