Pad Thai

Possible Cooking Methods:   Stovetop

This is another super quick meal that really should only be made on the stovetop. The pressure cooker won’t save you any time and the slow cooker won’t give you good results. The only appliance you might consider involving is the air fryer, and that would be just for the tofu. Tofu crisps up so nicely in the air fryer that you could cook it by itself and just toss it in at the end. That would be delicious, but alas… it wouldn’t be using just one pan.

12 ounces pad thai rice noodles

2 tablespoons fish sauce

6 tablespoons brown sugar

¼ cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 serrano or red Jalapeño chili pepper, thinly sliced

2 to 3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 large shallots, sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 large carrot, julienned

2 cloves garlic, sliced

6 ounces extra firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 eggs, lightly beaten

4 green onions, whites thinly sliced and greens sliced 2-inches long

Garnish:

½ cup chopped roasted peanuts

¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves

2 cups bean sprouts

4 lime wedges

Stovetop Directions

Serves:4

Cooking Time:10 minutes

1. Bring a kettle to a boil and pour boiling water over the pad thai rice noodles in a bowl. Let them sit for 5 minutes and then drain them and set them aside.

2. Combine the fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, chili pepper and water in a bowl and set aside.

3. Pre-heat a large 12-inch skillet or wok over medium-high to high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil and quickly stir-fry the shallots, pepper, carrot and garlic for just a couple of minutes tossing the food around regularly. Add the tofu and continue to stir-fry until the tofu has browned a little. Move the tofu and vegetables over to one side of the pan, add a little oil to the empty side and pour in the egg. Break up the egg as it cooks with a wooden spatula. When the egg has fully cooked, add the drained noodles and sauce ingredients to the pan and toss everything together. Scatter in the green onions (both whites and greens) and toss, cooking for just another minute or two.

4. Serve the pad thai in bowls with the roasted peanuts, cilantro and bean sprouts on top and a wedge of lime on the side.