Forget take out. This is better. And it will be piping hot when you sit down to eat.
This isn’t the super funky smelling, fishy pad thai purists fresh from the streets of Bangkok are looking for. But it’s not the super watered down lowest common denominator version either. No ketchup here. No soy sauce.
But no dried shrimp either. But way closer to Bangkok than Denny’s for sure. Probably not far off your local Thai restaurant. Assuming your local restaurant isn’t in Thailand.
Chicken pad thai without a trip to the Asian grocer
You can make this chicken pad thai with ingredients from the grocery store. For real. You’ll need to hit the Asian aisle but there’s no trip to an Asian market required. Honest. No trip hunting exotic ingredients. Not this time. Boring maybe – but I said easy weeknight dinner so…
This recipe is all about technique. Use this recipe. Or use another one. Doesn’t matter. But pay attention to the technique here. No mushy noodles. No underdone noodles either. Eggs done just right. Sauce added at the last minute to keep the flavours fresh. Just repeatable, perfectly done chicken pad thai. Apply this to whatever pad you make. It will work.
Don’t boil your noodles
I never boil my rice noodles when there’s a stir fry step involved. And you shouldn’t either. Just soak them in really hot water. They will soften some. They won’t be soft like they are in the final dish. Don’t freak out though. They cook more when you make the pad thai. This works. Trust me. Have faith. You’ll never get that mushy mess of noodles again. The use of rice vinegar here is deliberate. Not everyone has time to make tamarind sauce. And I’ve read that they used rice vinegar in southern Thailand in the beginning. So maybe that makes this more authentic. Maybe not. But it’s easy to get. And it adds a nice tang.
Chili vinegar sauce adds zing
The other thing that’s different about this recipe is the chili vinegar sauce. It’s an extra bit of tang that gets added as you eat. Like that squeeze of lime. Brightens everything up. Use the chili vinegar sauce or don’t – it’s a condiment. Treat it that way. I like it. Not too much though. Just a drizzle. A little lime is nice too. Layers of flavour… Really good chicken pad thai at home on Tuesday night after you went shopping at the regular grocery store. Better than takeout and you made it yourself. Not bad at all…
