Chicken Pad Thai Recipe

One of my favorite Thai entrees is Chicken Pad Thai.  I used to only get it in restaurants, since I had a hard time making it at home.  After several years of varying success, I've finally come up with a recipe that is light, has a nice saucy flavor and actually tastes like Thai food.  I think the secret ingredient is Thai Tamarind Concentrate .  It gives it a sweet/sour/savory component that sets it apart from other noodle dishes and is available either online or in most Asian grocery stores.  I like mine with lots of veggies, so I've added zucchini and carrots to the mix.  Hope you enjoy!

Chicken Pad Thai

1/2 pound dried rice noodles
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 lb. chicken breast, thinly sliced and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 zucchini, cut into matchsticks
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 tbs. tamarind concentrate, diluted with 2 tbs. water
3 tbs. fish sauce
1 tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbs. creamy peanut butter
1 tbs. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes (optional)
1 egg, beaten
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 c. chopped dry-roasted peanuts
1 lime, quartered into sections
1 handful of fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Set a large pot of water to boil for the noodles.  Meanwhile, do all of the prep work in advance -- chop the peanuts, zucchini, carrots, cilantro and garlic.

When the water is boiling, add the dried rice noodles and remove from heat.  Let them sit for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don't stick together.  When the time is up, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water.  Add a splash of vegetable oil and stir gently so they don't stick.  Set aside.

Slice the chicken into small pieces on a separate cutting board and set aside.  (I didn't take a photo because I didn't think many folks would like to see a mound of raw chicken, eh?) Prepare the sauce in a small bowl -- whisk together the tamarind concentrate, water, fish sauce, soy sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar and red pepper flakes (if you like a bit of spicy heat).

Heat the 3 tbs. of vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat.  (I used a 13" French skillet, seen below.)  Stir fry the garlic until just sizzling, but not brown -- less than a minute.  Add the chicken and stir fry until opaque, but not brown.  Add the carrots and zucchini matchsticks.  Saute a few more minutes until cooked 'til the vegetables are al dente.    Add the parboiled rice noodles and stir.  The noodles will continue to cook a few minutes -- stir until they curl up a bit and whiten.  (The bite test is recommended -- again, I like them al dente -- mushy noodles aren't good, but then again hard noodles are too chewy.)

Add the egg.  There are two methods you can use -- either push aside noodle mixture and scramble egg in the same pan with a touch more oil, or scramble egg in a small bowl with a tsp. of oil and microwave for 35-40 seconds.  Cut into small strips and add to pan; stir.  Add chopped green onions and stir fry just a minute or so.

Garnish with the chopped cilantro, chopped peanuts and lime wedge.  Voila!  Homemade chicken pad thai.  Enjoy.