Easy to Make Pad Thai

One of the things that I loved about living in Los Angeles was the great Asian flavors that are available at restaurants throughout the city. When we moved to Oregon, I especially missed Pad Thai, so I looked up recipes on the Internet and was surprised by the long list of ingredients that this delicious dish requires.

What I love to do is find easy ways to make fancy meals without the fuss, so here’s my abbreviated version of Pad Thai for four people.

INGREDIENTS:

4 chicken breasts cut into small pieces (I use organic, cage free chicken)

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Keli’s Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce (It’s the best! Learn more at www.kelishawaiian.com)

1 14 oz. Package of Thai rice noodles (aka rice sticks, 2/8th inch or 3 cm wide)

2 eggs

8 cooked jumbo shrimp

1 cup of bean sprouts

1/2 cup of thinly sliced (aka julienned) baby carrots

3/4 cup of ground peanuts (I use a handheld nut chopper from Crate & Barrel)

1/8 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup sweet chili sauce (I use Mae Ploy brand from Thailand)

Fill a large pot with water. Heat it until the water is hot to touch, turn the burner off and add noodles. Stir the noodles until they are covered in water and do not stick to each other. Let the noodles soak for 20 minutes until they are soft (don’t over-soak or they will get mushy and break into short pieces).

While the rice noodles are soaking, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a wok or skillet. Let the oil heat up and then stir fry the chicken pieces until they are lightly browned (approx. 5 minutes). Add 1/4 cup Keli’s Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce and heat while stirring. Remove chicken pieces from the wok or skillet and place them in a bowl. Stir fry the shrimp for 2 minutes and set it aside. Next, fry the eggs and lightly scramble their yokes; the eggs will mix with the flavors of the teriyaki and shrimp. Cut the eggs into small slices and set aside.

When the noodles are ready, drain the water and place the noodles in your wok or skillet. Add chicken, eggs, soy sauce and sweet chili sauce to the noodles and carefully stir them together while heating. Add additional chili and soy sauces until the noodles taste they way you like them. I like my Pad Thai to be spicy, so I add extra chili sauce.

Place a serving of noodles and chicken on each plate, garnish with 2 shrimp, chopped peanuts, carrots and bean sprouts. Guests will be impressed with your presentation and your exotic tasty cooking!