My favorite prepared food booth at my farmers market is Moh’s Mobile Kitchen. My friend, Moh, makes the most delicious Thai food, and that’s where I usually stop for lunch each Saturday. The aroma of grilled beef and chicken sticks, Pad Thai, fried rice and spring rolls fills the air and by lunch time my mouth is watering for something hot and spicy from Moh’s Kitchen. Her Pad Thai is crazy good and it’s my usual Saturday choice. Customers are lined up when the market opens at 8:00 am to get their weekly fix of Moh’s cooking.
The market closes just before Thanksgiving so I usually have to suffer through the winter without my weekly fix. But last November I found this wonderful, easy to prepare recipe for Pad Thai at Chez Loulou and now can survive the winter without suffering withdrawal from one of my favorite dishes. I found all the ingredients at my local Asian market and can whip this up whenever I get the craving. The only change I made to Loulou’s recipe is adding more sugar to the sauce. Moh’s version is sweeter and that’s what my taste buds prefer.
Pad Thai
8 ounces Thai rice noodles
8 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 ounces chicken breast, thinly sliced
4 ounces firm tofu, cut into bite sized pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 ounces bean sprouts
2 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped
Sauce:
1/3 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup tamarind concentrate
1/4 cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup)
2-4 teaspoons chili powder
Garnish:
2 ounces bean sprouts
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped
In a large bowl, cover the noodles with plenty of cool water and let soak for 1 hours. Drain.
Make the sauce by bringing the sauce ingredients to a gentle simmer on the stove. Add chili powder, 1 teaspoon at a time, to get the degree of heat you like. The sauce should be tangy, with a bit of sweetness and spiciness. Adjust to your palate.
Heat oil in a large wok or frying pan until almost smoking. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and tofu along with a couple of tablespoons of the sauce. Add shrimp and saute until shrimp is pink, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the eggs and let them set for 10-15 seconds, then give them a quick stir with the other ingredients in the pan. Add the drained noodles and most of the sauce and stir together. It if seems too dry, add the rest of the sauce.
Add bean sprouts, green onions and peanuts and stir everything together. Taste for seasoning. Add salt if necessary, and a bit of lime juice for extra zing. Serve with garnish.
For more delicious recipes, wonderful photos and stories of her life in France I hope you will stop by to visit Chez Loulou. You are in for a special treat.
I love pad Thai and have been working my way through recipes, trying to find the best. I will definitely give this a try!
Do you really think I can do this? I'd love to make Pad Thai at home – it's my #1 favorite week-night-dinner-out choice. I'll try………
Cathy, I've been looking for a good Pad Thai recipe. I think I just found it. Thank you.
Ann
looks delish and such a great pic!
Cathy, I've enjoyed Pad Thai in restaurants but have never made it at home. Looks delicious.
Sam
I love Pad Thai. Yours looks so yummy. Boy do I wish we had a Saturday Market like you describe!!!!
YES, YES, YES!!!! Do you hear me? We have been experimenting with pad thai recipes and not that happy yet. Just this morning I told Dale I would do another search for a better recipe. And, Cathy, here you are!! We read Chez Lou Lou, but missed this one. My problem is that I could not find tamarind concentrate, or paste. Our oriental store only had tamarind which is pasty with the large seeds, so they all had to be removed and, well, that just took the fun out of it. I will be trying your recipe in a few days!!!! Thanks. Susan
Wow, who doesn't like pad Thai? This is a delicious recipe and easy to prepare. I recommend having everything ready to go before you start cooking. This goes together very quickly.
This is something I really love, but have never made it; you inspired me to try it out; looks so so tasty!
Rita
I love Phad Thai too. If I had a spot that I could enjoy phad thai on a regular basis, I would so be there!
Cathy, this looks incredible. A must try for me!
Having had this delicious meal at quite a few very good Thai eateries…I never quite thought of making it myself. With your recipe…I just may at some point give it a whirl of my own ;o)
Thanks for sharing and flavourful wishes, Claudia
I tried to make Pad Thai once and wrote in my cookbook "best left to the professionals". Since you've posted the recipe, I'll give it another try!
I may have finally found a pad Thai recipe that is a complete success.
This looks fabulous Cathy!
I will definitely be trying this!
Thank you!
Cathy! I just made this a week ago but didnt post because I was too hungry. Yours looks so authentic and yummy. :)) who does not love pad thai :))
Your pad thai looks wodnerful! I have made it at home before and never been very happy with it. But I have never used tamarind, so I'll hav eto find some and give your recipe a shot! Thanks!
Ooooh, Cathy, I'll be trying this. I'm the only one here that likes Thai food, so I don't get it much. I'd love to get a fix now and then!
xoxo Pattie
You temptress! You've done it again. Now, I'm craving Thai food. I guess the Auto Chef will have to ride for dinner out. 😉
XO,
Sheila
Hi Cathy,
It looks so yummy and delicious!!!
Love,
Lia.
So happy that you had success with the recipe. It is a favorite of ours!
Merci, Cathy!
And thank you for all of the kind words about Chez Loulou. You're a doll!
I'll be forwarding this to my Pad Thai loving
kids. My daughter will be in heaven – the other day she noted that everything tastes better with fish sauce!
Great recipe! I love pad thai but have never tried to make it at home. I will definitely make this, though:) The pad thai at the market you get must be incredible too.
Thank you so much for sharing Loulou's recipe, Cathy. I don't make dishes like this nearly enough but this is an inspiration!
I love pad thai! It's so flavourful!
I am an absolute pad thai junkie, so I'm really happy to see this recipe. I haven't tried making it in a long time…I think I'm due!
Oh my! This looks heavenly! It's making me crave Thai food!
my girls love pad thai!!! this looks like a great recipe!
Pad thai…makes me miss eating this in San Francisco. Lucky you to have a vendor by your stand to enjoy this for a few months out of the year. I have not made this in so long that I should pull out my recipe and whip some up …right now would be good:-)
Cathy! This sounds delicious. I had Pad Thai for the first time a few years ago. It immediately became a favorite. I will have to try doing it myself!
Wow! Thai food! Spicy, sour and delicious! I love it, you cook it so well!
I thought your farmers market was fantastic – and now you say they serve food also! No wonder you go all the time!
Not a fan of tofu, but I don't think the dish would be hurt too much by omitting it…lol Looks delicious!!
Absolutely delicious noodle. I like it spicy too.
I did not realize pad thai could be prepared that easily! sounds so good with that tamarind and all these flavors combined.
oh wow looks so feel so hungry now after reading this!
I have most of those ingredients. Will have to look for the tamarind though.
Looks good and Moh's sounds very good!
I was committed to "portion" control this week…thinking nothing could possibly tempt me – WRONG!
This dish looks amazing – light, spicy and satisfying. I can't wait to try it this summer. Thanks!
I love pad Thai but have never tried making it at home… this recipe looks fantastic.
Cathy: If I had to choose just one cuisine to dine on for life, I think it would have to be Thai. I love the salty, sweet, spicy, sour taste so very much. We have a local restaurant, Five Star Thai, that is wonderful. Just in case they ever close, I've amassed a collection of Thai cookbooks. I hope I never have to use them! Your pad Thai sounds very close to Five Star's. Delicious!
Best,
Bonnie
I have never had Pad Thai. I feel like I'm totally missing out, it looks awesome! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe…I've bookmarked with hopes I'll actually make it 😉
Thank you so much for sharing it.that's amazing!!
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Oh that looks so good! I have never had it. We had a Thai restaurant nearby, but it only lasted 2 summers and then closed down. I never got to try it, I heard it was pricey! What isn't out here!
This picture has me drooling! Yum! I have never made Pad Thai but everytime I see it makes me want to try. I think yours is the most mouthwatering I've seen yet. Want to try it!
The noodle recipe sounds really mouthwatering. I love this kind of flavour very much. Will never had enough of these! Have a nice day.
Cheers, Kristy