15 Better than Takeout: Pad Thai

I bought hot pink lipstick today.

I stared at it...picked out two more reasonable shades...stared at those for a while too...and then bought that hot pink, amazing, knock you on your face bright, pink shade.  And then when I got in the car I put it on...and I love it.  It's so summery, care free and fun.  And it makes me want to put on my best outfit and go do something.

I had to run into Petsmart and Lenscrafters...I checked my new pout in the rearview mirror... and decided what the heck, sometimes you just gotta be bold.  I walked in there with my bright pink lips and head held high.  A lady with a small, white, fluffy dog smiled at me as she walked by.  In Lenscrafters I got a big smile from the receptionist and I saw her sneak a second coat of her lipgloss after pulling my chart.  Bold is good.

I made this dish twice, fine tuning the ingredients and flavors until I felt I had a winner.  The first time I used linguine noodles and shrimp.  The shrimp were yummy, but the noodles just seemed out of place and I felt like I needed twice as much sauce.  So the second time I made it, I went out and got legit rice noodles - oh my goodness it made all the difference in the world!  The noodles absorbed the sauce and took on all those yummy flavors, seriously get these noodles if you ever make pad thai, trust me it's worth it.  I also made it with chicken the second time because that's my hubs favorite.  So skip the take out and make this at home instead.

Pad Thai 
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thawed)
or
1 pound shrimp, deveined, peeled
2 Tablespoons sesame oil, divided
dash of salt and pepper
Thai spice (Optional)
3 Tablespoons peanut butter
1-2 teaspoons Sriracha (depends on your spiciness level)
2 teaspoons thai red curry paste
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons fresh garlic, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
4 Tablespoons water
1 8oz box Annie Chuns Pad Thai Rice Noodles
1 head of broccoli, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
1 whole lime, cut into wedges
1 bunch of cilantro, stems removed, roughly chopped
1 container bean sprouts (optional)

For Chicken Pad Thai:

1.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Place the chicken breast on the baking sheet and drizzle with sesame oil.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides, and if you have access to it a Thai spice blend.  I bought this spicely one at Whole Foods when we were driving through South Carolina.  It's a blend of Paprika, Turmeric, Black Pepper, Coriander, Fenugreek, Mustard, Cayenne and Ginger.  

2.  Roast the chicken for about 30 minutes, until cooked through or has an internal temperature of 165-170 degrees F.  Let cool and then cut into bite sized pieces.

3.  In a small bowl mix together the peanut butter, sriracha, thai red curry paste, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, garlic and water.  Stir well and set aside.

4.  Start a pot of boiling water for the rice noodles and cook according to the package.  The Annie Chun's box said to cook for 4-5 minutes.  Be sure to keep an eye on it, it may boil over at first, just stir it a bit to settle it down.  Add the chopped broccoli to the water once it boils and cook with the pasta.  Drain into a colander.

5.  In a wok or large skillet, over high heat add the sesame oil and onions.  Cook the onions for 1-2 minutes...

For Shrimp Pad Thai - add the shrimp to the wok/skillet and cook until pink, curled, about 3-4 minutes a side.

For Chicken Pad Thai - add the chicken to the wok/skillet now.

6.  Add the noodles and broccoli to the wok/skillet and toss lightly.  Pour the sauce mixture over everything and toss together, be sure to coat everything in the sauce.  If your noodles are a little sticky add an extra tablespoon of sesame oil to them.

7.  Remove from heat, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and sprouts, serve with a lime wedge.

Enjoy!