| 1 | Rice noodles: ============= you can use fresh or dried, in widths from 1/8 to ?inch wide. |
| 2 | I"ve never tried fresh. |
| 3 | The dried ones have to be soaked in water to soften them. |
| 4 | The recipes call for soaking in cold water, lukewarm water, hot water, and boiling water for anywhere from 7 minutes to 2 hours. |
| 5 | I put mine into warm tap water and let them soak while i"m preparing everything else. |
| 6 | Just before i start cooking, i dump them into a colander to drain. |
| 7 | One recipe suggests cellophane noodles as an alternative to rice noodles -- i"ve never tried that variation. |
| 8 | Meat or no meat: ================ the most common meat called for is shrimp, with chicken and/or pork use in addition to or in place of the shrimp. |
| 9 | Some recipes add bean curd; some substitute it for the meat. |
| 10 | Jeff smith"s recipe uses deep fried bean curd. |
| 11 | My own variation is to substitute various veggies (asparagus, red bell pepper, broccoli, snow peas, or whatever else looks good). |
| 12 | As nancie mcdermott says, "thai cooks blithely tinker with the classic formula to create signature variations, and you can, too." oil and seasonings: =================== cooking pad thai starts with vegetable or peanut oil. |
| 13 | Most versions add garlic, and sometimes shallots, shrimp paste (be prepared for the smell!), onions, fresh red chilies, and/or preserved sweet white radish. |
| 14 | The sauce: ========== what makes pad thai, in addition to the rice noodles, is the sauce. |
| 15 | The general mix of flavors is sweet, salty, sour, and hot. |
| 16 | Typical ingredients are: ~~ fish sauce (sometimes soy sauce is used in addition, or in place of for pure vegetarian versions) ~~ sugar (sometimes palm sugar is suggested) ~~ vinegar (various kinds specified; tamarind sauce or lime juice are sometimes used instead) ~~ "red stuff" -- may be paprika, tomato paste, catsup, chili powder, hot chili sauce, chili paste with garlic, tomato sauce, or cayenne pepper, depending on the recipe. |
| 17 | ~~ other possible additions: salt, black pepper, chicken stock, dried shrimp powder. |
| 18 | One recipe calls for boiling the sauce before using. |
| 19 | Eggs: ===== anywhere from 0-Some recipes call for beating the eggs before adding; others suggested breaking the yolk after adding the egg to the pan. |
| 20 | Various techniques are suggested for manipulating the egg while cooking. |
| 21 | One recipe calls for cooking the egg before starting the pad thai, cutting it into strips, and then adding the egg strips back at the end of cooking. |
| 22 | I haven"t tried this myself but have had it in restaurants. |
| 23 | Bean sprouts and scallions: ========================== these are usually added last in cooking, or added to the finished dish without cooking. |
| 24 | Garnishes: ========= various things can be added to finished dish as an edible garnish: ~~ lime or lemon wedges ~~ ground roasted chilies ~~ ground roasted peanuts ~~ dried red chili flakes ~~ fresh coriander leaves ~~ cucumber slices ~~ dried shrimps ~~ fried basil leaves ~~ cherry tomatoes ~~ mint sprigs experiment, and enjoy! |
