I love when my friends are inspired by my blogs or my cooking. With love and inspiration (whether it was for me, or simply for the love of Pad Thai), here is an Ode to Pad Thai, written by my beloved friend, just for you.

 

“One Saturday afternoon, after a tough squash game, my friend treats me to lunch at the coffee shop. Before I even sit down, my friend orders a half-dozen chicken satays for starters and a portion of Pad Thai noodles for mains. He knows me too well.

I’m not ashamed to admit it; Pad Thai noodles are my number one dish. (There are currently four hundred and fifty seven “Number One” dishes on my list, but we’ll get to those later). The one time I managed to travel out to Thailand, my fondest memory was eating lunch on a plastic stool in a shanty restaurant in Bangkok having a scrumptious bowl of freshly made Pad Thai.

Most Asian noodle and rice dishes are fairly simple to prepare and are really a delight to eat. Pad Thai is no exception, with the chef’s choice between Chicken, Pork, Shrimp, Tofu or any combination between. I always find the mix and match of flavours in a serving to be the highlight of the meal. From the sweetness of the sugar, the bitterness of the lime juice, the shock of the spice and the crunch of the roasted peanuts. There is almost too much to handle on the plate.

With the vast selection of appetizers to start with, and the rainbow selection of curries for your mains. A portion of Pad Thai noodles is the corner stone of my Thai eating experience.”

With that in mind, find below an awesome recipe for Pad Thai noodles that will send your taste buds roaring back to Thailand, courtesy of The Global Gourmet .

8 oz Thai rice noodles
1/4 cup tamarind paste
1/4 cup warm water

4 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast
4 oz fried tofu
6 tbsp roasted unsalted peanuts
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
8 large shrimps, shelled and deveined (50 oz)
2 eggs
1 cup bean sprouts
2 stems green onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 tsp roasted chilies

Strips of red pepper
Fresh coriander leaves
Wedges of lime

1. Soak noodles in plenty of cold water for at least 1 hour.

2. Combine tamarind paste with a 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl and let soak for at least 15 minutes.

3. Slice the chicken into 1/4-inch strips. If you find it difficult to cut thinly through fresh meat, leave it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden slightly and then slice. Reserve.

4. Slice the fried tofu into 3/4-inch cubes. Reserve.

5. Blend or process peanuts into coarse meal. Reserve.

6. Return to your reserved tamarind paste in its water. Mash it and transfer the mud-like mixture to a strainer set into a bowl. Mash and push with a spoon, forcing liquid to strain into the bowl. Scrape off the juice that clings to the underside of the strainer. You will have about 5 tbsp of tamarind juice. Add to it the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Beat to thoroughly mix and reserve. Discard the solids left in the strainer.

7. Heat oil in a wok (or large frying pan) until it is just about to smoke. Add garlic and stir, letting it cook for about 30 seconds. Add chicken and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add tofu and shrimps and stir-fry for 1 more minute. Break eggs into wok and let them fry without breaking them up for 1-2 minutes.

8. While eggs cook, quickly drain the noodles and then add to wok, giving them a quick fold, stir-frying for 1 minute from the bottom up. Add reserved tamarind juice, etc. (from step #6) and continue stir-frying, mixing everything together for 1-2 minutes. Your noodles will have subsided to half their original volume and softened up to al dente.

9. Add about 2/3 of the reserved ground peanuts and stir. Add about 2/3 of the bean sprouts and all the green onion pieces. Stir-fry for 30 seconds and take off heat.

l0. Transfer noodles to a serving dish and sprinkle with roasted chilies. Top with the rest of the ground peanuts, the rest of the sprouts, some strips of red pepper and fresh coriander leaves. Stick a couple of lime wedges on the side and serve immediately.

This process for making Pad Thai seems long, but is wholeheartedly worth it – so try it! You won’t be dissapointed!

Hidden away on Graham Street in Hong Kong is this wonderfully cheap and cheerful restaurant which fits in perfectly with my theme this month. Tuk Tuk Thai.

Upon hearing it’s name, the first thing I envisioned was a bustling small hole-in-the-wall kind of restaurant overflowing with people, and to be honest, when I rocked up that was exactly what I found. The decor is nothing to shout about, but in my opinion any place overflowing with people laughing, eating and drinking is a good sign!

Trying to steer clear of the cliche Thai dishes we always order including but not limited to papaya salad, pad thai and green curry, we attempted some wonderfully tasteful dishes. With eyes bigger than our bellies, we began to order Thai Fish Cakes, Pomelo Salad and Chicken in Pandan Leaves to start, followed by Stir Fried Morning Glory with Chillies, Broccoli with Prawns, Squid with Chilli Paste, Sliced Pork Neck, and of course, a Thai Green Curry with Chicken. Steamed rice on the side made this an absolutely perfect Thai meal, complimented by Sauvignon Blanc from Malborough, New Zealand.

Although the Fish Cakes weren’t much to rave about, and the Chicken in Pandan Leaves was rather average, the Pomelo Salad wowed me.

Pomelo

For those unfamiliar with Pomelo, it is a citrus fruit native to South East Asia, and tastes like a sweet, mild grapefruit. Combine these bursting fleshy buds with dried shrimps, grilled shallots, fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, coconut milk, sweet prawns and ground peanuts and you have a salad bursting with flavour.

Another South East Asian favourite of mine is Morning Glory, stir fried simply with garlic and fresh red chillies, this spicy dish was the perfect accompaniment to our main meal, which is never complete without a sweet, yet mildly spicy, Thai Green Curry.

Overall, Tuk Tuk Thai was amazing, the service was, to be honest, rubbish, but even so the waitresses were smiling and with a group of friends, a few bottles of wine it was a fantastic experience.

The Verdict: Definately go back! If you haven’t been, it’s a must try! I would recommend booking a table though as it’s always busy!

Tuk Tuk Thai can be found at 30 Graham St., Central, Hong Kong. Phone: 2542-2760. Mon-Sat 11am-3pm, 5pm-10:30pm

For those of you have been lovely enough to visit while I have had nothing to say, I am greatful. I welcome you to the first post of a Taste of Travel.

As much as I would love to say I travel copious amounts, I cannot. I am grounded at work, but I do have a passion for both food and travelling, and I whole heartedly believe they go hand in hand like two peas in a pod. As a result, when I am not travelling, on a month-by-month basis I will feature foods from a different country which I love, and I hope you will learn to love to.  When I am travelling however – you will be the first to know and share in my experiences as I embark on my fantastic foodie journey through life.

This month’s feature is a taste of Thailand. I love Thai food, the freshness and spices use tend to blow my tastebuds out of proportion. Though it’s a common misconception that Thai food only consists of curries. As much as Thai Green Curry is one of my all time favourite dishes, I thought I would start my blogging year off with a wonderful recipe for Green Papaya Salad.

Ingredients

Juice of 2 limes

3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

1/4 cup minced shallots

3 chillies, seeded and finely chopped

3 tablespoons raw cane sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 medium-large green papayas, peeled, seeds removed, and shredded

2 carrots, peeled and shredded

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh corriander leaves, plus 1/3 cup leaves, for garnish

1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts, for garnish

Method

In a blender combine the lime juice, fish sauce, shallots, chillies, sugar and garlic.

In a bowl, combine the papayas, carrots, mint leaves and chopped corriander. Toss with the blended dressing, and garinish with corriander leaves and chopped peanuts.

Green Papaya Salad - Image courtesy of FoodNetwork.com