When I crave take out food…it’s normally some form of noodle! Vietnamese Food, Ramen, Noodle Stir Fry or the mighty Pad Thai. As much as I love to cook on the weekends, there are just some times that truly call for some takeout noodles. Today I was craving Pad Thai in a big way.

As much as I was craving this dish, I really really didn’t want to spend money on take out when I only returned home from a big grocery shop. We also anticipate some renovations soon so I’m trying to not spend money on stuff I don’t need or that seem wasteful. So I talked myself out of take out. The craving was still pretty hard core so I started hunting through my pantry and freezer to see what I had and BOOM…I had everything required to make my own homemade version of Pad Thai!!

I tried to make a version of this take out fave in a remotely healthy way and I think it turned out pretty good! First I mixed together the sauce for the Pad Thai using a few zippy ingredients that I usually always have on hand. Lime Juice, Tamari (but you can use soy sauce or coconut aminos too), coconut sugar, sambal oelek and fish sauce.

I set the sauce to the side and got my rice noodles ready. Rice Noodles are super easy to prepare. I literally just boiled the kettle, put the rice noodles in a bowl and then poured the hot water over them so they were covered. Let them soak for about 10 min and then drain them and set aside.

Now I want to start cooking. First, heat some oil in a skillet or wok. I added 3 sliced chicken thighs to the skillet and let it cook for about 6 minutes until they were no longer pink in the middle. Next I added the chopped clove of garlic and strips of red pepper and sautéed for another 2 minutes. Once cooked, remove chicken and pepper mixture and set aside in a bowl.

Add a bit more oil to the skillet and then add the 2 whisked eggs and gently fry the egg up. Once egg is cooked, remove from pan and add to chicken and skillet mixture.

Next, you want pour the sauce in to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Once the sauce is simmering, add the rice noodles and toss to coat the noodles. Start to add in half the green onions, the chicken, pepper and egg mixture and toss to ensure it’s completely mixed.

Now add in the raw shrimp. You don’t want to add this too early…honestly, the last few minutes before you plan to serve it, otherwise your shrimp could be over cooked and rubbery. Not a good combo. When the shrimp are ready they will turn from grey to pink.

Finally, add in your bean sprouts and toss. I like my bean sprouts still pretty crunchy so I don’t cook them for too long because I want them to still have bite. Now you are ready to plate this bad boy up!! I like to finish this with some chopped peanuts, green onions, cilantro (when husband isn’t around) and lime.

this recipe is enough to feed 4-6 people depending on how hungry they are and if you are serving this as a stand alone dish.

Easy Pad Thai

Ingredients

• Pkg of rice noodles (white or brown)
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice (2 limes juiced)
• 1/3 cup tamari (or soy sauce or coconut aminos)
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 2 tsp sambal oelek (or more if you like it spicy)
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 3 or 4 chicken thighs sliced in to strips
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 red pepper julienned in to strips
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 green onions chopped
• 15 raw shrimp (tails removed)
• 3 Tbsp peanuts
• Chopped Cilantro (optional)
• Lime wedges (optional for serving)

Directions

1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together the ingredients for the dressing: lime juice, tamari, coconut sugar, sambal oelek and fish sauce. Once mixed, set aside.
2. Pour enough boiling water (from a kettle) over the rice noodles in a bowl so that they are covered. Stir to ensure noodles are broken up and not sticking together. After about 10 minutes, the noodles should be soft and fully cooked. Drain the water from the noodles and set aside.
3. Heat some oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add sliced chicken and cook for 6 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and no longer pink inside.
4. Add red peppers and minced garlic and sauté with the chicken for 1-2 minutes until the peppers are slightly cooked but still crunchy. Remove the chicken and pepper mixture and set aside
5. Add a tiny bit more oil to the skillet and once warmed, add the beaten eggs. When the egg is cooked, remove and add to the bowl with the chicken and pepper mixture.
6. Add your sauce to the skillet and bring up to a simmer. Once simmering, add in the cooked rice noodles and toss so that the sauce has coated all of the noodles.
7. Add half of the green onions and the cooked egg/chicken/peppers mixture in with the noodles and mix together.
8. Add in raw shrimp and let cook until shrimp turns pink.
9. Add in bean sprouts and toss.
10. Transfer Pad Thai to a serving platter and top with peanuts, cilantro and lime wedges on the side.