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Both peanuts and pulses (e.g., lentils, beans) are included under the botanical category, legumes. Peanuts are categorized separately from pulses because they grow underground.
Peanuts offer a range of health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and stroke, diabetes prevention, and even help to prevent cancers like leukemia and colorectal cancer.
This week’s recipe for Classic Thai Noodles (Phat Thai) is a healthy, exotic and warmly filling one-dish meal. The recipe was sent to CCSA by our resident chef, Dr. Linda Doody.
“In Thai cooking we try to make sure we have all five flavour notes in our meals – sweet, salty, spicy, sour and bitterness.”
-Xuto via BBC
Classic Thai Noodles (Phat Thai)
Category
CCSA Blog
Healthy Eating
True Thai: The Modern Art of Thai Cooking, Victor Sodsook (1995)
Notes
This recipe serves 2 as a one-dish meal.
Ingredients
- Thai Noodles
- 8 ounces dried rice-stick noodles (noodles made from rice flour come in a variety of shapes and sizes. For this recipe, use a thin flat [fettucine-like] noodle [sen jahn or sen lek, or sometimes chantaboon])
- ¼ pound fresh medium shrimp (you can substitute ½ to ¾ pounds medium shrimp for the combination of shrimp plus pork/chicken)
- ¼ pound pork tenderloin or boneless chicken, either light or dark meat
- 4 Tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
- 6 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
- 6 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp catsup
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 8 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 2 Tbsp small, dried shrimp (kung haeng) (optional) (these sun-dried, light orange-pink shrimps are usually packaged in cellophane. When squeezed, they should have enough water content to give slightly)
- ¼ cup diced pressed bean curd (tofu)
- 2 Tbsp shredded salted radish (hua pak kad kem) (optional) (these are matchstick shreds of radish that has been sun-dried and then cured in salt. They add a salty sweet flavor and some chewy texture. The cellophane package is sometimes labeled preserved turnip)
- 2 eggs
- ½ Tbsp Thai chile powder (phrik pon) (another ground red chile [e.g., New Mexico chile powder] or cayenne pepper can be substituted to taste)
- 4 scallions, including the green tops, angle cut into 1½ inch pieces
- 1½ cups fresh bean sprouts
- ⅓ cup roasted unsalted peanuts, crushed in a mortar or finely chopped
- Condiments
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- ⅓ cup roasted unsalted peanuts, crushed in a mortar or finely chopped
- Lime or lemon wedges
- 6–8 fresh Thai chiles (phrik khee nu), finely sliced, or chiles-in-vinegar sauce (see below)
- Chiles-in-Vinegar Sauce
- ½ cup distilled white vinegar
- 12 small Thai chiles (phrik khee nu) or 1 serrano chile, finely sliced (Thai chile, sometimes called bird or birds-eye pepper, is among the world’s hottest varieties. They are about 1 inch long, and can be green or red)
- ½ Tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
Instructions
- Soak the rice sticks in a large bowl of warm water until they are soft, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside in the colander.
- Meanwhile, rinse and peel the shrimp, but leave the tails on. Slice partway through along the back to butterfly and devein. If used, slice the pork or chicken into bite-size strips.
- In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, and catsup. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- To stir fry, place all of the ingredients (except condiments) within easy reach of the cooking area. Arrange the condiments on a serving platter or put them into individual bowls; set on the table so they will be ready when the noodles are hot out of the wok.
- Set a wok over medium high heat. [Note: A large heavy frying pan can be used instead of a wok.] When it is quite hot, add the oil. Rotate the wok so that the oil coats the sides. Add garlic and stir fry for a few seconds before adding the fresh shrimp, pork/chicken, and dried shrimp. Stir fry until the shrimp and pork/chicken lose their raw color, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and gently toss them in the sauce. Stir fry until the noodles absorb the sauce, about 2 minutes. Mix in the bean curd and salted radish.
- Break the eggs into the wok. Break up the yolks a bit, then mix the eggs down under the noodle mixture. Cook without stirring for 15 seconds, then stir fry until all ingredients are well blended. Add the Thai chile powder and scallions. Stir fry until the scallions are cooked through and crisp-tender, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the bean sprouts and peanuts and mix well. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately.
- Chiles-in-Vinegar Sauce
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small serving bowl. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes to develop the flavors. The sauce will keep for 3 to 4 days at room temperature or for 2 weeks if refrigerated.
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