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
Transcribed cooking instructions as an idea can be found back into history, certainly as far back into history as ancient Egypt, and possibly even further. Interesting though that is, in the main part, these old records were just primitive hieroglyphic instructions for preparing food.
In an interesting twist, the oldest recipe discovered so far, according to experts in ancient history is a series of ancient tablets in Sumerian which show the baking 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 wonderful. Progressing into Roman times 25BC a man called Apicius compiled a few scripts detailing recipes enjoyed by the Romans. In his works, he describes how the meals of wealthy Romans were divided into hors d`oeuvres, main meal and desserts, a style of dining still practiced today. Aspicius informs us how the Romans used many different spices, including some familiar names like thyme, rue and asafoetida. Continuing our culinary historical journey, there are a couple of recipe books which appeared in the 1300s ; a book called `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary titled `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are somewhat misleading tho`, these books have no connection with the indian curry that is popular today, but rather descriptions of the types of meals enjoyed by the rich and powerful of that period. Later on, in the 15th century, the Crusaders brought back a variety of foods and herbs from middle-east cuisine, such as basil and coriander. These new foods and tastes created an explosion in recipe books, many of which still exist in academic collections. Over the succeeding few hundred years, the wealthy families of Wesstern Europe competed to serve up the most exotic meals, and because of this cooks and their recipe collections increased in prestige. However, it wasn`t until the 19th century that cookery and recipe collections really came of age. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, devoted their lives to assembling, testing, and writing down recipes to help cooks of their time. When we get to the twentieth century, recipe publications are highly popular mostly as a result of higher levels of literacy, more free time and a general increase in wealth. |
We hope you enjoy this Pad Thai (2) recipe.
