Our easy-peasy Pad Thai
Tempting though it may be to dash through an order to your local Thai takeaway on a Friday arvo, these days it’s worth a second thought. Rising costs of ingredients are being passed on to consumers and an under-pressure hospitality sector means your local might be understaffed – or not open at all.
Enter: the fakeaway. This Pad Thai recipe has the greasy, tasty easiness of a real takeaway (plus it’s cheap-as to make!) The ingredients can be easily swapped for what you’ve got in the cupboard, which we’ve indicated below.
Serves 2 – 3
Ingredients
125g flat rice noodles (half a standard pack)
Juice of 2 limes (or one juicy lemon)
½ tsp cayenne pepper (or 1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce)
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
200g protein – tofu, prawns and chicken all work well
4 spring onions sliced
140g bean sprouts (or any crunchy vegetable)
25g chopped peanuts (use crunchy peanut butter if needed)
Handful of coriander (or mint if it’s the only option)
Method
- Start by soaking the rice noodles in a bowl of boiling water for 4 minutes – no more, no less. Nothing ruins a Pad Thai like gluggy noodles! Drain the hot water and rinse immediately under cold running water to stop them cooking further.
- Make the sauce by mixing cayenne pepper with sugar, lime juice and fish sauce.
- Heat the oil in a wok or large pan and fry the meat or tofu until cooked through.
- Add the noodles (keep the pan hot to stop them sticking) and spring onions
- Tip in the sauce, bean sprouts and half the peanuts. Combine everything together and cook through for a minute or two
- Serve in a large flat dish topped with chopped coriander and the remaining peanuts. Keep the sweet chilli sauce on hand for an extra zing!
