1/3 lb flat rice stick noodles (banh pho), , 1/4 wide
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/4 lb pork cut into matchstick strips
6 shrimps, peeled and deveined
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 egg
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup chopped toasted peanuts
1/4 tsp ground dry shrimp
1 freshly ground white pepper
1/4 tsp asian chili powder (to taste)
1 cup bean sprouts washed & drained
1/4 cup scallions, cut 3/4 long
1 fresh coriander
1 wedges of fresh lime
Directions
Soak noodles in warm water for 60 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Prepare all other ingredients and arrange near the wok. You will need
to work fast.
In the wok, fry the pork in the peanut oil at medium heat. When half
cooked, add the shrimps and garlic and stir. Cook until shrimp and
pork are done.
Beat the egg and add it to the mixture. Cook, stirring, for about
half a minute.
Turn the heat to high. Add the drained noodles to shrimp mixture. Add
water, vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, shrimp powder, and most of the
peanuts. Sprinkle in white pepper and chili powder. Toss to combine.
Let it cook on one side (Don't stir; keep checking the underside as
if it were a big pancake). Flip it over as best you can and repeat
until nearly cooked, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Add most of the sprouts and scallions. Stir and cook for another
minute.
Turn onto a plate. Top with the rest of the sprouts, scallions, and
peanuts. Garnish with coriander and serve with a wedge of fresh
lemon.
From: stigle@cs.unca.edu (Sue Stigleman)
Servings: 2 servings
Pad Thai (2) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Asian; Thai
The History of Recipes
It is quite feasible to prove the history of transcribed cooking instructions way back into antiquity, certainly as far back into history as the early Egyptians, and potentially, even further back. Interesting though that maybe, mostly, these ancient records were just simple hieroglyphic instructions for meal preparation.
In fact, the oldest recipe found, according to experts in ancient history is a collection of clay tablets in the Sumerian language which show the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made those who drank it feel `blissful`. Later on, there were a couple of recipe books dating from the fourteenth century ; a book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another called `Curye on Inglish`. Although the titles sound familiar, these two books have no connection with the indian food that we all know today, but instead accounts of the types of food enjoyed by the nobility of the period. Later on in the 1400s, people returning from the crusades brought us a variety of spices and herbs from the Middle-East, including spices like basil and coriander. The introduction of these new herbs and spices created an explosion in recipe manuscripts, the majority of which are kept safe in private libraries. For the centuries that followed, the rich and powerful families of Wesstern Europe competed to serve the most exotic banquets, and as a result the best chefs and their recipe collections increased in prestige. Even so, it was during the 19th century that haute cuisine and cookery books reached a high level of popularity. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Farmer in the USA, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, verifying, and writing down the recipes of their peers. The introduction of the TV brings us TV cooks and the accompanying recipe books. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the internet revolution, permitting everyone to search through massive numbers of recipes just like those on the site you are now reading. |
We hope you enjoy this Pad Thai (2) recipe.
