Easy (fake) Pad Thai

As promised, I bring you a recipe for Pad Thai that doesn't use traditional Pad Thai ingredients. If you're like me, you like Pad Thai but can't bring yourself to purchase fish sauce, tamarind, rice wine vinegar, etc. So while flipping through my month's issue of Everyday Food, imagine my surprise to find this recipe for vegetable Pad Thai that doesn't use any of the previously mentioned ingredients. However, I got a bit indignant while at the grocery store once I discovered the rice noodles cost 5 bucks for a 16-ounce box. I saw "rice spaghetti" in the gluten-free foods for a couple bucks but didn't know if that was an acceptable substitute. Since I had just gotten a free $10 gift certificate for transferring a prescription, I sucked it up and got the rice noodles.

A word to the wise, like authentic Pad Thai you gotta do your prep work. This dish comes together so fast it borders on hectic. So soak your noodles, chop and portion out all your veggies and be ready to throw them in the pan in a matter of minutes.

I also added some variations to this dish, I cut a carrot into matchsticks and sauteed it with the garlic and green onion. I also added a handful of shrimp right before I added the noodles (I also never removed the egg mixture, I didn't want to dirty up an extra plate). Good stuff. I also halved the recipe (it makes 4 servings) because I didn't want a lot of leftovers as Pad Thai never quite reheats well.

Anyways, to the important part, the verdict. It doesn't taste quite like real Pad Thai, but based on the ease and lack of exotic ingredients, I didn't really care. It was tasty, reminded me of Pad Thai, and I liked it. So if you like Pad Thai, but hate buying stuff, give it a go!

Edit: After thinking about this dish for most of this past week, I made it again for dinner tonight. Let me just say this: delicious. It was better than I remembered. It had that party in my mouth thing that real Pad Thai has going on. Brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, who knew.


Vegetable Pad Thai

8 ounces dried, wide, and flat rice noodles
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large eggs (optional), lightly beaten
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts

1. Soak noodles according to package instructions. Drain. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, and soy sauce.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add eggs (if using) and cook, scraping skillet with a rubber spatula, until eggs are almost set, about 30 seconds. Transfer egg mixture to a plate. Add noodles and soy-sauce mixture to skillet; cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft and coated with sauce, about 1 minute. Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking eggs up gently. Serve noodles with lime wedges, topped with cilantro and peanuts.