Pad Thai at Home

I like to order pad thai on Sundays for dinner. Today I tried it at home and it went pretty well! It is fun because you can add and omit items based on your preferences.

Vegetarian Pad Thai (adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Eat Everything Vegetarian and About.com)

What You Need:

- 14 ounces dried flat rice noodles, 1/4 inch thick
- 5 tablespoons peanut or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn (I used olive oil to make the egg and sesame oil to make the veggies)
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 ounces pressed tofu, or extra-firm tofu, blotted dry, sliced
- 3 scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths
- 1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and trimmed (I didn't have any and I don't really like them that much, instead I used about a cup or two of shredded green cabbage)
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 4 teaspoons tamarind paste or ketchup (I used ketchup)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (add more depending on your preference)
- 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 lime, cut into wedges

What You Do

1. Put the noodles in a bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover. Soak until softened, at least 15 minutes; if you want to hold them a little longer, drain them, fill the bowl with cold water, and return the noodles to the bowl.

2. Put 2 tablespoons of the oil in large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the eggs and scramble.

3. Raise the heat to high and add the remaining oil. When hot, add the garlic, tofu, cabbage (or bean sprouts), and scallions about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate.

4. Put the drained noodles, eggs, and remainder of ingredients in the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are heated through, then add the stir-fried tofu mixture. Toss once or twice and transfer the contents of the pan to a serving platter. Top with the peanuts, cilantro and anything else you like. Serve with the lime wedges.

It was very easy and now I have tons of leftovers for lunch during the week.