Chicken & Tofu Pad Thai

Matt and I have an intimate relationship with Thai food. In seminary, we ate it as a quick meal between classes. It was waiting for us on a blanket surrounded by candles, just before Matt proposed. All 300 of our wedding guests joined us for Thai food at our reception. And we live in the marvelous Seattle, where you can find Thai food in every neighborhood, fancy or cheap, traditional or Americanized. Even better, you can find Thai ingredients with little effort in this city.

My favorite corner Asian market, Lennys, has just about everything I need to make any basic Asian dish I could desire. And this week, I made the trip to Lennys in order to venture in the brave new world of homemade Pad Thai.

I feel like there is a lack of quality Pad Thai recipes to be found on the interwebs, so I decided to post this year (partially so that I can come back to it)!. For those of you who live far away from Thai ingredients, I am so sad for you. I believe Tamarind Base can actually be substituted with Ketchup (an astounding # of Thai restaurants actually do this!) Ancho CHile pepper also totally optional. And Fish Sauce can be substituted with Soy or Tamari, but you will definitely miss out. You can also, obviously, make this dish with only tofu or only chicken, but I love having both. 

Chicken & Tofu Phad Thai

Serves 3-4, Takes ~90 minutes, start to finish

Sauce Recipe:

 - 3 Tbsp Tamarind Sour Soup Base (or 1 Tbls Tamarind Paste)

 - 2 to 3 Tbsp peanut butter

 - 1/2 tsp ground white pepper

 - 1/2 tsp ground ancho chile pepper

 - 1/4 c chicken broth, low sodium if poss.

 - 1/4 c brown Sugar

 - 3 Tbsp fish Sauce

 - 1 Tbsp Sriracha

 - 1/2 lime (juice)

 - 1 Tbsp cornstarch

 - 1 Tbsp water

Pad Thai Recipe:

 - 10 to 12oz 1/4in thick rice noodles (dry)

 - .75 lb chicken breast

 - 8 oz  extra firm tofu, pressed between paper towels for 15 mins

 - 2 eggs, lightly beaten (w/ a pinch of salt)

 - 3 Tbls tamari or soy sauce

 - 1 tsp corn starch

 - 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced

 - 1 shallot, minced

 - 4 green onions, light green parts, chopped

 - peanut oil (or grapeseed oil)

Garnish 

 - 1 to 2 c bean sprouts (rinsed & drained)

 - 1/2 c cilantro, chopped

 - 4 green onions, dark green parts, chopped

 - 1 lime, cut into wedges lengthwise

 - 1/2 c peanuts (salted & roasted), crushed

Instructions:

Slice chicken breast in 1/2 inch slices, and then in half length-wise again so that you end up with slices that are ~1/2 inch tall and 1/2 wide. In a bowl or plastic bag, combine chicken breast, 1 1/2 Tbsp Tamari or Soy Sauce, and 1 tsp cornstarch and mix well, then transfer to fridge.

Slice tofu (once pressed) into strips (~1/2 inch wide and 2-3 inches long), pat dry with paper towels, and place into bowl or plastic bag with 1 1/2 Tbsp tamari/soy sauce, then transfer to fridge.

In a small dish, combine cornstarch and water and make a slurry - set aside. Combine all remaining sauce ingredients in a medium bowl, and whisk until sugar dissolves and peanut butter disburses.  Set aside. 

Heat 4 qts water to boiling, remove from heat and add rice noodles. Let soak ~10 minutes, until just firmer than al dente, and then drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Return noodles to empty pot and cover with lid.

While noodles sit, mince or chop all remaining ingredients and garnish pieces, rinse bean sprouts, etc. Heat wok or large stir-fry pan over medium heat. When heated, add 1 tsp peanut oil and then add egg mixture. Turn heat to medium low, and flip after a minute or so. Remove egg to cutting board to let cool when it is just able to hold its shape. Cut or tear egg into small pieces.

Return pan to heat and increase to medium-high. Add 1/2 Tbsp peanut oil, and allow oil to heat. Add tofu pieces in a single layer (may need to do this in batches). Crisp and brown tofu on all sides. Remove from pan to a plate or cutting board.

Add 1/2 Tbsp Peanut Oil to pan, and allow to heat over medium-high heat. Add half of garlic & shallots to pan, and cook for 30 seconds before adding chicken pieces in a single layer to bottom of pan. Cook chicken, stirring every 1-2 minutes, until no more translucent chicken pieces can be seen. Add remaining garlic and shallots, and cook, stirring frequently, another 1-2 minutes. Don't overcook the chicken! This is my #1 complaint of Pad Thai from almost every restaurant I've ever eaten in!

Add sauce, noodles, and light-green onion pieces to pan, and then add tofu and egg. Add cornstarch slurry to pan as you mix everything together. Use two utensils to "toss" the dish in the pan. I recommend adding noodles in batches, and stop adding noodles when sauce seems mostly soaked up. 

Serve up! Garnish with peanuts, lime wedges, cilantro, green onion, and bean sprouts.