A Favorite Asian Dish

Sometimes when I meet someone and they find out that I'm Thai they'll say something like, "Oh, I love Thai food." Then I'll ask if they have a favorite dish. More times than not they will say that they love Phad Thai. I don't know why, but it seems to be a favorite. We don't often go out to eat at Thai restaurants since my mom makes the best Thai food ever. When she comes to town it's Thai food almost everyday! We would probably be disappointed if we went to a Thai restaurant. I don't know much about cooking Thai food, in fact when I was younger I couldn't stand Thai food. I know, right? I love it now and I wish I knew how to cook more dishes. Phad Thai is maybe one of three dishes that I know how to cook, so I thought I'd share it with you. (This has not been Amercianized. I've heard that many restaurants have added things like ketchup to fit the palettes of Americans.)

It's all about rice noodles for this dish. Start soaking the noodles in water in the morning. Let them soak all day until they are soft.

Dice up some chicken breasts. Then cook them in your wok until all the pink is gone.

Here are your sauces! They're the flavor of the whole dish. That's sweet sauce, fish sauce and chili sauce. 

Next you're going to dump all of those sauces over the chicken, along with a tablespoon or two of sugar. Toss everything around a bit.

Next drain your rice noodles. Place the noodles over the chicken mixture. Then crack an egg over the top of it all.

Stir fry it all around until everything is mixed well and all the liquid has evaporated. Looks good, right?

Meanwhile, have your oldest daughter smash up some peanuts.

Who needs a chopper when you've got this?

Plate your chicken and noodles. Sprinkle your chopped peanuts on top as well as a handful of sliced green onions.

Serve immediately it with a side of pot stickers! Yum!

PHAD THAI

1 package Rice Noodles

2-3 Chicken breasts, diced

1/4 cup Sweet Sauce

2 TablespoonsFish Sauce

1 Tablespoon sugar

Hot Chili Sauce to taste

1 egg

3 Tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced

3 Tablespoons peanuts, chopped

Vegetable oil


(All measurements are approximate because I don't really measure. I taste as I go.)

Soak rice noodles in a bowl full of water until soft.

Stir fry chicken until there is no pink left. 

Add sweet sauce, fish sauce, chili sauce and sugar. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Add rice noodles and crack an egg over the top.

Mix until well blended.

Plate the noodles and chicken.

Sprinkle with green onions and chopped peanuts.

Enjoy!