Lunch today was pad thai served in a bowl. My goal was the use up the last of my firm tofu, so I sliced the remainder into pieces, coated them in flour, fried them in peanut oil, and worked from there.
Here's a shot of the noodles. Unlike American restaurant pad thai, they don't have a red tint and are more brown in color. I am told that American restaurant pad thai is pink because the chefs use ketchup to flavor the noodles. Is this true? I don't know but would be interested to hear the real scoop.
I craved something sweet after lunch, so I concocted this mango black tea smoothie, made by simply blending freshly brewed mango flavored black tea, sweetened condensed milk, and ice. Very refreshing! I would have loved to have photographed this with a plumeria flower on top, or at least something similar, but the only flowers out in the garden right now are cucumber blossoms. The thought of using these in my cocktail sort of cracks me up. Perhaps they might work atop a Bloody Mary, though? ;-D
Following is the pad thai recipe I used (swapping fried tofu for the original shrimp and eggs as protein):
1. Add 1/2lb of Sen Lek noodles to cold water to soak. (By the time you prepare the remainder of your ingredients, they will be ready. Time them this way.)
2. Season your wok with oil. Prepare a handful of fresh cilantro for topping, crush a handful of peanuts in a plastic bag, chop half an onion, chop two green onions, shred 1/4 cup of fresh ginger, mince 1-2 cloves of garlic, chop one green jalapeno into thin slivers. Wash 1/2 lb of beansprouts.
3. Prepare the seasoning in a small bowl. Mix 2 spoonfuls fish sauce, 2 spoonfuls of tamarind juice, 1 spoonful sugar, and half a spoonful of paprika.
4. Add the garlic, onion, jalapeno, ginger and fry until oil is aromatic. Add drained noodles and fry briefly. Add seasoning from bowl and fry briefly. Add fried tofu. Add bean sprouts. Stir and remove from wok.
5. Top with cilantro, crushed peanuts, and a squeeze or two of fresh lime.
I've read that some recipes call for adding some amount of the peanuts to the noodles themselves while frying. This way every mouthful gets an amount of peanuts to enjoy. However, I prefer them as a topping only.