Pad Thai

Submitted by Linda Peterson

(I usually double it for 8 servings! But don't double the eggs).

Ingredients:
4 cups water
1 package (6 to 8 oz) rice noodles (the thick kind)
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup water
3 Tbl packed brown sugar
3 Tbl fish sauce or soy sauce
3 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl rice vinegar or white vinegar
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 Tbl vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup finely chopped dry-roasted peanuts
3 cups fresh bean sprouts
4 medium green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup firmly packed cilantro leaves
*Plus: 12-16 oz of tofu, frozen cooked shrimp, or chopped cooked chicken

Directions:
1. In 3-quart saucepan, heat 4 cups water to boiling. Remove from heat; add noodles (push noodles into water with back of spoon to cover completely with water if necessary). Soak noodles 3 to 5 minutes or until noodles are soft but firm. Drain noodles; rinse with cold water.

2. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir lime juice, 1/3 cup water, brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, cayenne pepper, and 1 tbl of the oil until well mixed; set aside.

3. In non-stick wok or 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat remaining 2 Tbl of oil over medium heat. Cook garlic and shallot in oil about 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until starting to brown. Add eggs, Cook about 2 minutes, stirring gently and constantly, until scrambled but still moist.

4. Stir in noodles and lime juice mixture. Increase heat to high. Cook about 1 minute, tossing constantly with 2 wooden spoons, until sauce begins to thicken (sometimes I add a little cornstarch+water to thicken). Add tofu, chicken, or shrimp. Cook 2-3 minutes, tossing, until noodles are tender. Serve with chopped peanuts, bean sprouts, green onions, and cilantro. Additional lime wedges are also nice.

*If using tofu, stir-fry in wok before adding the eggs, then set aside. Proceed with the recipe.
If using shrimp, make sure it's cooked, peeled, deveined medium shrimp and that you thaw it beforehand.
If using chicken, stir-fry it separately with a little basil and garlic, then set aside.

A couple other notes: Don't double the shallot. don't double the cayenne. if you make a single recipe of this, i recommend cutting the cayenne in half, unless you really like spicy. I usually don't include the green onions or cilantro cuz nick isn't a big fan of those things, but I'm sure they'd be delicious! read the instructions on your rice noodle box, because they might be different from what the recipe says. also, I usually add a little corn starch+water mixture to help thicken the sauce a little bit. once you have the sauce and noodles ready, this recipe cooks up really quickly and it's SOOO GOOD. enjoy!