Day Eighty-Six - Shrimp Pad Thai (4.29.14)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
• 2 tsp ketchup
• 2 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 24 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 12 oz dried flat rice noodles
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 bunch scallions, greens chopped and whites reserved for another use
• 3/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• Sriracha, for serving
• Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together the vinegar, fish sauce, brown sugar, ketchup and worcestershire sauce until the sugar dissolves.
2. Ina large nonstick skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil over high heat until shimmering. Add the shrimp and cook, turning once, until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a plate; reserve the skillet.
3. Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook until tender, but still slightly chewy, 4 to 5 minutes. Rinse under cold water; drain well.
4. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp oil to the reserved skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Crack in the eggs and cook until the whites are browned slightly at the edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a nonstick spatula, flip the eggs and break into small pieces. Add the noodles and fish sauce mixture; toss to combine. Add the cooked shrimp and stir until the shrimp are heated through and the noodles have absorbed some of the sauce, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the bean sprouts, scallion greens and peanuts; toss well. Divide the noodles among plates and top with the cilantro. Serve with the sriracha and lime wedges.

Opinions

Potter: Despite the fact we didn't have any bean sprouts for this it still turned out amazing. The bean sprouts wouldn't have done anything for the flavor but they would have given it that little extra crunch that would have been perfect. This one was a little challenging getting the pan temperatures right so I wasn't cooking everything too fast or slow but it turned out delicious and wasn't the hardest thing I've cooked. If you're a big fan of Thai food give this one a try. 

Katie: This Thai dish turned out great! I love shrimp and this was an amazing mix of flavors. I had the sliced/crushed peanuts on mine which was a great texture addition, especially since we didn't have bean sprouts to add. I took leftovers for lunch for a couple days and it didn't fail when re-warmed either.