I have never made Pad Thai before, but love, LOVE it, especially with shrimp, and usually order it when my husband and I go out for Thai food. My kids also love it but because just about every place makes it with gluten, and pick-up stixs’ (food chain) gluten free version is not my idea of good food. Sorry just my honest opinion. So this was a challenge, yes, to make it gluten AND soy free! I was determined to make this delicious without any indication that soy sauce was missing. I thought how hard can this be if I can get a pad thai sauce in a bottle. But no such luck, pad thai sauce has gluten. So it’s time to improvise …
Like with all my recipes, I am a firm believer of having everything prepped before I begin cooking. The french call it “mise en place” meaning to have everything in place.
- For sauce:
- 6 tablespoons fresh lime and lemon juice (2 limes, 2 lemons)
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons fish sauce (I like Thai Kitchen brand)
- 6 tablespoons spicy thai chili sauce (I like Thai Kitchen gluten free brand)
- 3 tablespoons tamarind paste (health food stores or online)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1½ tablespoons organic chicken stock
- 2 pinches red pepper flakes, or to taste
- pinch of kosher salt, or to taste
- For noodles:
- 2 packages Pad Thai rice noodles (I like Annie Chun’s)
- For Pad Thai:
- 4 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 shallots, finely diced
- 2 pounds medium sized fresh shrimp, cleaned and deveined or 1 pound chicken, sliced into strips
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 cups fresh mung bean sprouts
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped (about ½ of a bunch)
- 4 tablespoons roasted peanuts
- 5 scallions, chopped, ends removed
- Note: Have all your ingredients prepared and ready to go before cooking so that your shrimp (or chicken) remain juicy, not rubbery, from overcooking.
- For sauce: combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, mix well. Set aside.
- For noodles: bring a large pot to a boil. Turn off heat, add rice noodles and let it soak in the hot water until soft but not mushy, 7- 10 minutes. Drain just before adding in the final step.
- For Pad Thai: heat wok or a large saute pan over high heat. When hot add oil, garlic, and shallots. Stir well for a few seconds then add shrimp or chicken. Transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
- With the wok cleared, add a little more oil, about a tablespoon, then add beaten eggs, toss with a fork to lightly to scramble. Remove and transfer once eggs have just started to set. Set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add back the garlic/shrimp (and/or the chicken mixture) back in, then add mung bean sprouts and scallions, toss to combine. Add sauce and drained noodles. Toss well until toss has fully coated the ingredients. Add cooked egg back in. Heat for a minute or two until heated through then transfer to serving plates and garnish with cilantro, sprouts, and peanuts. Serve hot.
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