1/4 lb dried rice stick noodles
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp coarsely chopped garlic
8 shrimps, peeled and deveined
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp coarsely chopped peanuts - (dry-roa, sted type)
1 cup bean sprouts
4 slender green onions - sliced in 1, inch lengths
1 lime, quartered lengthwise
Directions
Paht Thai is a noodle dish almost everyone seems to like. A tangle of
slender rice noodles is sauteed with garlic, shallots, and an
orchestra of sweet, sour, and salty ingredients that play a piquant
symphony of Thai flavors. A handful of fresh bean sprouts provides a
cooling contrast to the hot, seasoned noodles, and circles of lime
invite you to bring sourness to center stage as you begin to eat.
Traditional ingredients are salty dried shrimp; crispy pieces of
fried, pressed bean curd; sweet-sour nuggets of pickled white radish;
chopped peanuts; flat, green garlic chives; and a balanced chorus --
sweet, sour, salty, hot -- of palm sugar, tamarind, vinegar, lime,
brown bean sauce, and crushed dried red chilies.
Thai cooks blithely tinker with the classic formula to create
signature versions, and you can, too. Siriluk Williams, owner of
Sukothai Restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, gave me her recipe
for home-style paht Thai. I love its accessible ingredients, simple
steps, and delicious results.
Instructions: ============= Soak rice noodles in warm water to cover
for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare all the remaining
ingredients and place them next to the stove, along with a small
serving platter. When the noodles are very limp and white, drain and
measure out 2 1/2 cups. Set these by the stove as well.
Heat a wok or large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1
tablespoon of the oil and swirl to coat the surface. When the oil is
very hot, drop a piece of the garlic into the pan. If it sizzles
immediately, the oil is ready. Add the garlic and toss until golden,
about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and toss until they turn pink and
are opaque, no more than 1 minute. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the egg to the pan and tilt the pan to spread it into a thin
sheet. As soon as it begins to set and is opaque, scramble it to
break it into small lumps. Remove from the pan and set aside with the
shrimp.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, heat for 30 seconds, and add the
softened noodles. Using a spatula, spread and pull the noodles into
a thin layer covering the surface of the pan. Then scrape them into a
clump again and gently turn them over. Hook loops of noodles with
the edge of the spatula and pull them up the sides, spreading them
out into a layer again. Repeat this process several times as the
stiff, white noodles soften and curl into ivory ringlets. Add the
fish sauce and turn the noodles so they are evenly seasoned. Add the
sugar and peanuts, turning the noodles a few more times.
Reserving a small handful for garnish, add the bean sprouts, along
with the green onions and shrimp-egg mixture. Cook for 1 minute,
turning often. Transfer the noodles to the serving platter and
squeeze the juice of 2 lime wedges over the top. Garnish with
remaining bean sprouts and lime wedges and serve at once.
Serves 1 as a main course, 2 as an appetizer.
Source: Real Thai, by Nancie McDermott; Chronicle Books; ISBN
0-8118-0017-2
From: stigle@cs.unca.edu (Sue Stigleman)
Servings: 1 servings
Paht Thai Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Asian; Thai
The History of Recipes
We are able to read the history of meal recipes way back into distant history, at least as far into history as the early Egyptians, and possibly even further than that. In practice though, sadly, these ancient cook books were just simple pictorial instructions for preparing food.
Interestingly, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to experts is a collection of stone 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 anyone who drank it feel blissful. Later on, in Roman times 25BC a man called Apicius created a collection of scripts showing how to cook the recipes cooked by wealthy roman citizens. He describes how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into hors d`oeuvres, main meal and desserts, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. He also tells us how the chefs of Roman times were skilled in the use of a wide range of herbs, including a few you will know such as basil, rue and dill. During the succeeding few centuries, the rich families of Europe strove to offer the most extravagent meals, and consequentially the best chefs and their recipe collections became highly prized. Nevertheless, it wasn`t until the 19th century that fine cooking and cookery books reached a high level of popularity. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, devoted much of their lives to assembling, verifying, and publishing popular recipes of the day. Like it or not, the introduction of television brought us TV chefs and the demand for the accompanying recipe books. And that pretty much brings us to the present day and the invention of computers and the internet, allowing everybody to access massive numbers of recipes just like those on the site you are now reading. |
We hope you enjoy this Paht Thai recipe.
