I Would Have Licked the Wok!

A few weeks ago, Mark Bittman posted a recipe in the beloved Dining Out section of The New York Times for vegetable pad thai. It inspired me to make my own despite having a good Thai restaurant not too far from where I live.

I was going to try his recipe, but I wanted some kind of protein in the mix. I then started looking for recipes that included chicken and shrimp, and as I read more and more, they all varied greatly! There are no two pad thai recipes alike on the interwebs! Some called for tamarind paste, some for honey, some for fish sauce, others for oyster sauce. Some had egg on top, others did not. All had cilantro, and I hate cilantro, so that was not happening on my plate. I did not want rice noodles at all. I am now officially a Dreamfields fan and prefer that as my noodle choice, and linguine worked just fine!

I was getting discouraged and then decided to Thai in all the recipes together and create my own based on what I had and what my tastes were. I also wanted to make this a weeknight meal...some of the recipes were complicated. This took me 45 minutes start to finish. It would have taken a bit longer had I opted to add the egg, and I would go back and do that on a weekend! That being said, I had one bite and wanted to lick the wok, let alone the plate after I was done!

What is your favorite dish to cook in your wok?

Chef Aimee's Pad Thai

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon peanut satay sauce

1 teaspoon Sriracha

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

3 tablespoons wok oil (available in Asian aisle - has some great flavors)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup of zucchini, sliced julienne style

1/4 cup Chinese chives, diced (these are my FAVORITE kind of chives)

2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut up into bite sized pieces

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 pound linguine noodles (Dreamfields is my choice), cooked and drained

1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Chopped peanuts, for garnish

Directions:

1) In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, satay sauce, hot sauce, and oyster sauce until smooth.

2) Salt and pepper the chicken and then coat with ground ginger.

3) Heat a large wok with the wok oil and make sure oil is very hot. Once hot, add the garlic and let cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add the chicken and vegetables and stir fry until chicken is cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. Add noodles and toss to coat.

4) Add satay/spice paste, brown sugar, vinegar, and lime juice and toss to distribute. Cook until heated through, another minute or so.

5) After plating, top with chopped peanuts. (You can also add mung bean sprouts and cilantro)