Recipe: Faux Pad Thai

I’m in the middle of finals, so the last thing I should be doing is spending hours in the kitchen perfecting dishes and photographing them.  (So what do you think I’m doing?)

To be fair, a good, nourishing meal is incredible conducive to studying.  Or so I keep telling myself.

Pad Thai is generally not the healthiest of dishes, but if you load it up with vegetables as I do, supplementing with just a little sauce and noodles, you get all the yummy unctuousness of the peanut-y rice noodles without chowing down zillions of calories.  Plus, it’s colorful and quite beautiful (if I do say so myself).

The real Pad Thai has many more complex and interesting ingredients, but I was just working with what was in my pantry at the time.  And it worked out pretty well.

Recipe: Pad Thai “Inspired” Rice Noodles with Shrimp

Ingredients:

-       1/2 8-oz package wide rice noodles (or use fettuccine pasta — like I said, I’m not claiming this is authentic. Just good.)
-       16 oz shrimp, cleaned and peeled
-       1 small onion, sliced thinly
-       3 cloves garlic, minced
-       1 red bell pepper, sliced
-       6-8 shiitake mushroom, sliced
-       ½ head Savoy cabbage, sliced
-       1 cup sugar snap peas
-       1 cup bean sprouts
-       1 egg
-       4 tablespoons soy sauce
-       2 tablespoon peanut butter
-       4-5 scallions, sliced
-       2 tablespoons peanuts, chopped
-       dried chili flakes (optional)
-       3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  When the water is boiling, turn the heat off and add the rice noodles, allowing them to soak for approximately 15-20 minutes.

In a large wok or sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat.  When the pan is hot, add the garlic and the shrimp.  Saute until cooked through, taking care not to overcook.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and return to medium-high heat.  Add the onions, remaining garlic, and chili flakes (if desired) and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add the red bell pepper and the shiitake mushrooms and cook, stirring, another 3 minutes.  Add the Savoy cabbage, the snap peas, and the bean sprouts, and continue to cook for another 3 minutes.

Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and crack the egg into the emptied space.  With a wooden spoon, scramble the egg, gradually mixing it in with the vegetables as it cooks.

Drain the soaked rice noodles and add them to the pan.  Return the cooked shrimp to the pan and add the chopped scallions, reserving a bit for garnish.  Add the soy sauce and the peanut butter, tossing with the noodles until well combined.

Serve immediately, topped with the chopped peanuts and the remaining scallions.