Pad Thai Tips and Tricks

[GrillMaster]

Ok, I'm ready to give Pad Thai a try but I'm terrified that what I make will pale in comparision to what I get in the little concrete block dive of a Thai restaurant across town. I've got the basic recipe pretty well down pat but I'd love to hear everyone's tips and tricks. It seems like an easy dish that is even easier to screw up.
Thanks in advance.

[Tado]

Make a pad thai on real thai version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS1Ex0oldRY&feature=related

Or for more thai tips.
http://en.teachme.tv/category/107/rec...

[jbyoga]

I have made a vegetarian friendly (non fish sauce/white sugar) sauce with apple cider vinegar, Braggs amino acids,Sucanat and a bit of paprika for color works really well.

I like to stir fry finely chopped garlic,onion,chilis and other vegis along with some firm tofu/tempeh in a blend of sesame oil and canola.

Also, soaking the noodles in warm water (took a few trys to get them right) and adding them and the sauce last after cooking the other ingredients in a wok on high heat has made for an easy adaption of this dish for the health conscious and lazy. Finish with lime and crushed peanuts...mmmm

[GrillMaster]

It is done!! It was so good that I cooked it twice. Once on Friday for my sister (she's my usual guinea pig) and then once again Monday night for my wife. I used the recipe/instructions from Chez Pim and it turned out fantastic. It was pretty close to the best I've ever eaten.
Here's a few tips that she didn't mention or at least didn't expound on:

Fear not the heat. I had the range as high as it would go and the wok as hot as it would get before I got started on both occasions and as long as I kept things moving it went great. So resist temptations to cut it back.

Fear not the oil. I used olive oil since my wok oil has a little ginger in it and I wasn't sure I'd like the outcome. The olive oil worked great with the high heat. Both times I used more than I thought I absolutely needed in the beginning and both times I added oil about halfway through the loosen the noodles some.

Fear not the heat II. I live in a small town so ingredients are hard to come by. For the pepper heat I used 1 tsp cracked red pepper, 1/2 tsp cayanne pepper, and 1/2 tsp papprika. I made the sauce first and let it sit on my warming eye for 30 minutes or so while I cut everything else up. The end result was a good uniform heat throughout the dish. It wasn't too hot but you can always adjust that to your taste. Letting it sit longer would probably increase the heat as well. So if you can't find just the more traditional thai chili powder that is a pretty good substitue.

In general, I'd agree it is pretty easy to prepare. Just have your stuff ready and measured out. Also, keep the portions small. Two portions per cooking is about the most you can do. If you haven't tried it before then give it a shot.

[Joebob]

A tip via Sikhay Rest. in Fort Worth, TX: if making shrimp Pad Thai, sprinkle in some of those tiny dried shrimp along with the fresh shrimp.

[doc_k55]

The Cook's Illustrated recipe was quite good. I made it once.

[buttermonkey]

other keys to the dish... medium size noodles that are quality, use a good tamarind paste, and not too sweet on the sauce

[Miss Needle]

Have you seen this link?

http://chezpim.typepad.com/blogs/2007...

[GrillMaster]

I have read that. I'm using that as my basic model to go by. She just makes it sound so easy that it made me a little nervous.

[jazzy77]

Really, it's not that difficult in execution, just a little fussy. Just make sure you have everything measured out beforehand because the cooking goes really fast once you start.

Sometimes, I cheat and cook my protein first and set it aside, make the rest of the dish and add the protein at the end to heat....

[luckyfatima]

i don't think cooking the protein first and setting it aside is cheating. i actually think that is the best way to do it, so i would recommend that as a tip.

[dani_k]

sweet! thanks for this link. ive been looking for a more traditional recipe (sans ketchup or any other tomato sauce...) closer to a street vendor version. have a friend who lived in thailand for a while, and she's never satisfied with restaurant versions. i'll try this one on her...

[gastronomical]

It is very easy and cooks very fast once you get the technique down. The key is to not overcook your proteins. Whether it be poultry or seafood, you have to cook them at high heat, get a nice crusty sear one side, then add your other ingredients like egg, veg, sauce and rice noodles, even while the protein is still undercooked, the steam generated from your sauce and noodles will finish the protein.