Due to unpleasant circumstances, my mother is paying us an unexpected and very pleasant visit (thanks Mom and Dad!). Once is became clear that M did not need to be a full-time nurse for the time she is here, nay, well before that became clear, our conversation turned to eating. Eating turned to noodles and noodles to unfinished resolutions and on to pad thai and spaetzle and other delicious treats.
Mother was dubious that people (people being Caucasian American cooks living in the middle of the country) make pad thai at home.
What's a noodle resolution good for if it doesn't make one up for the challenge of cooking pad thai at home on short notice, just to demonstrate to one's mother that it can be done, even if one is not well, has never used one's Thai cookbooks, and lives in the a small town in the middle of the country?
We cooked noodles last night and our pad thai ("Phat Thai" in the cookbooks we used) was very good. I'm pleased to report that it is do-able as a weeknight meal and the leftovers are tasty as well.
I followed (mostly) the recipe in Therese Volpe Laursen and Byron Lauresen's From Bali to Bangkok in 30 Minutes. We happen to have rice noodles, tamarind paste, fish sauce, chili powder, chili paste, garlic, brown sugar, green onions, eggs, oil and frozen shrimp on hand, so we only needed to purchase peanuts, chicken, and lime. I forgot the bean sprouts and added radishes and cilantro. I'm fully aware that this doesn't reflect the cupboard status of most Americans in small towns in the middle of the country, but both tamarind paste and fish sauce seem to keep for a long time, so if you'd like to cook SE Asian-inspired food at all, there's no reason not to have them.
The one drawback of our dish was that the noodles I used were a little too wide (wide egg noodle width rather than linguine width) and some of the ends stuck together and never softened properly. The thinly sliced radishes, tossed in at the end with the green onions and cilantro, cooked slightly, so would have been better left at the side or tossed in a minute or two later. The smell of fish sauce also permeates the kitchen, so beware.
What southeast Asian noodle dishes have you tried at home (successfully or not)?
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7 comments:
I have pad thai recipe that is very good and very easy. It uses linguine. I have also used a pad thai kit purchased at World Market. It had rice noodles and was surprisingly good for a kit. I just added shrimp.
Last weekend I made pho, and it turned out fairly tasty... The time-consuming part was making the broth from beef leg bones, but I now have a lot of broth in the freezer, so I think it was worth the effort. Also I can't find Thai basil here, but the sweet Italian worked ok. Star anise is wonderful in soup-- I love how it looks, too. Stars as a part of your new years resolution seems like a very cool idea, by the way!
PQ- I'd like a copy of your recipe, although the one I used was plenty easy. I've used good kits as well, but won't buy them again now that I know how easy it is to make from scratch.
Molly- Did you make the noodles as well as the broth?
I'm salivating just thinking of how great it was!
I didn't make the noodles. I used dried rice noodles (thin). Even with pre-softening they need to sit in the broth a bit before taking on a nicer flavor, I found.
Grrr, so jealous. I have to go to Glasgow for proper pad thai noodles. The only kind of rice noodles you can get here are the really thin glass noodles.
But, they are perfect for making fresh spring rolls with peanut sauce, my fav. asian appetiser!
We stock up on noodles and curry pastes and such when we go to "the City" (Oklahoma City) which is relatively closer than Glasgow, but still over an hour away.
I think there are rice noodles at the local supermarket but I think they're the very thin ones also.
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