Shrimp Pad-Thai

Prep 20 min

Ready 35 min

Serves 4

I have been cooking Thai food for several years, and one of my favorites is Pad Thai. It is commonly made with shrimp, chicken, pork, or tofu. Most big box grocers are now selling Thai products making the ingredients easier to find, but I have discovered a wonderful Asian grocer who stocks a huge selection of hard to find items you don’t typically find in the mega stores and you can support a small independent. They always have fresh produce, a huge variety of different bottled sauces and a large quantity of rice noodles in all different sizes ranging from a quarter inch to very fine. This recipe was easy to make and tastes great! I used my 30 year old garage sale find wok.

Ingredients

• 8 oz. uncooked flat rice noodles (pad Thai stick noodles)

• 2 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce

• 1 1/2 Tbs. fish sauce (smells awful, tastes great)

• 1 1/2 Tbs. fresh lime juice

• 2 Tbs. dark brown sugar or palm sugar

• 1 Tbs. Sriracha

• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

• 3 Tbs. peanut oil

• 1 cup green onion

• 15-20 peeled and deveined large shrimp

• 5 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts

• 1/4 cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

• 3 Tbs. fresh cilantro

• 2 limes cut and quartered

• 1 Tbs. grated ginger

• 1/2 cup chopped unsalted peanuts

• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Step 1

Soak noodles for 20 minutes in very warm water until noodles are soft. Drain and set aside.

Step 2

While noodles are soaking, combine sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, sriracha, soy sauce, and pepper flakes in a small bowl.

Step 3

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add peanut oil to wok and swirl to coat. Add onions, shrimp, ginger and garlic;  stir-fry 3-4 minutes or until shrimp is almost done. Add cooked noodles and bean sprouts. Toss to combine. Stir in sauce. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly to combine. Divide onto four plates and top with chopped peanuts and chopped fresh cilantro. Squeeze fresh lime to taste.