Cold Weather Meets Spicy Pad Thai

Ethnic TASTITUDE radiates from the smooth warm flavour of Thai Cuisine. Pad Thai is the ultimate street food but don't mistake this street fare as anything but smashmouth

A spicy dish that radiates smashmouth flavours and Tastitude is a wonderful and obvious way to combat cold winter weather in chilly northern climates.

Thai cuisine is especially unique, and great Thai food contains all of the elements of flavour balance such as sweet, sour, spicy and salty. Thai food creates micro bursts and taste explosions of flavour on your tongue and very often provides a sense of warmth and well being with the smooth heat it provides. These intense and very enjoyable flavours are perhaps the biggest factors explaining the gain in popularity that Thai food has experienced throughout North America and the rest of the world.

Thailand's gastronomic history is as ancient as many of the world’s oldest. Exploration and trade have allowed Thai cuisine to evolve into an eclectic flavour pot influenced by so many great flavours linked to other countries. Malaysia, Burma, Indonesia, India, and China, all brought a measure of influence to Thai cooking. The foreign styles, spices, ingredients, equipment and methods helped to develop Thai cuisine into the juggernaut of Tastitude that it is today.

Thai food regularly includes curries made with turmeric, chilies, coriander, cumin, and other Indian spices. At the same time, they added their own ingredients in the form of local ingredients such as Thai basil, lemongrass and Thai ginger. From China the Thai people received the wok and learned how to make their own rice noodles. The spicy Sambals of Burma, unique rice dishes of Indonesia, and the curry-inspired flavors of Malaysia also intermingle in Thai cuisine.

One of the most recognizably popular dishes in Thai cuisine is Pad Thai or Thai Noodles. Pad Thai is a common street food that has simple ingredients but don’t let the fact that it is street food fool you into thinking that it isn’t refined. The complexity in the layers of flavours leaves the tongue happy and the senses warmed. There are thousands of recipes for Pad Thai and each has its merits. I prefer the ones with coconut milk and red curry paste with Sambal Olek.

Of course the nice thing is that you can experiment and try to make them all and eventually decide for yourself which you like better. In the meantime here is my version of Pad Thai to give you an exotic warm up this week. It just might help to knock a little frost off old man winter’s beard.

Chef House Spicy Pad Thai for 4

• 400 g box of rice noodles prepared to instructions
• 1 coconut
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 cups boiling water
• 250 ml heavy cream
• 3 tsp red curry paste
• 2 tsp Sambal Olek
• sea salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 shallots diced
• 2 cloves of garlic finely sliced
• 4 eggs
• 16 21/25 peeled and de-veined shrimp
• 1 cup of bean sprout
• 1 cup green onion finely chopped
• 4 tbsp finely chopped mint
• 1 cup of lightly crushed dry roasted peanuts

Directions:

1. Prepare the noodles as per the manufacturer’s instruction.

To make the coconut milk:

1. Crack the coconut using a heavy knife and catch the coconut water in a bowl. Strain the coconut water through a coffee filter and reserve. Separate the coconut from the shell and peel the skin off the meat using a standard peeler.
2. Cut the coconut into 1 or 2 inch cubes and place into the blender. Add the sugar and the 3 cups of boiling water. Very carefully blend until smooth covering the top of the blender with a thick kitchen towel to protect your hands.
3. When smooth strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to separate the meat from the milk. Reserve the coconut for other uses.

To complete the sauce:

1. In a medium saucepan add 1 tbsp of olive oil and 2 of the diced shallots and 1 clove of sliced garlic. Sautee on med/low until soft but not browned and add the coconut milk and heavy cream. Bring to a light simmer and reduce the heat to low. Stir in the curry paste, Sambal and season with salt and pepper.
2. In a small dish mix the cornstarch and water together and whisk into the sauce. Heat the sauce on low for 15 minutes.

To make the Pad Thai

1. In a large wok or pan on high heat add the remaining oil, shallot and garlic. Add the egg and scramble lightly. Quickly remove the egg and next add the shrimp along with the reserved coconut water. Reduce slightly and add the bean sprout, ½ the mint and ½ the green onion. Add the noodles and stir fry to heat the noodle through.
2. Add the egg back in and add as much of the sauce as desired. Toss once and remove to family style serving dish. Top with remaining green onion, mint, and the peanuts. Serve hot.

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