Homemade Gluten-Free Pad Thai
Description
A local from Thailand would argue that this recipe isn’t authentic, although the flavors here closely resemble what you might find at a Thai restaurant that caters to Western palates. You can use tofu, chicken, or really whatever you like.
There are a few unique ingredients here, such as the preserved radish, which is a fascinating, slightly funky-smelling, dried daikon radish, with a texture resembling something like a firm, dried apricot. Some varieties smell faintly of a cross between sugar-dipped dog paws and sneakers, in a very non-offensive way.
For the Pad Thai-inspired sauce described below, note that the tamarind paste is quite tart and sour. Work to balance the sweet, sour, and salty components of the sauce in a way that you prefer—some families prefer the sauce to be more or less sweet, salty, or sour! You can also make some extra sauce and keep it saved in the fridge.
One small note with the soy sauce and fish sauce: make sure you are buying versions that are labeled as gluten-free, as some brands contain gluten!
If keeping this dish vegan, omit the fish sauce and eggs, and use tofu instead of chicken.
Ingredients
For the Pad Thai-Inspired Sauce:
For the Dish:
Instructions
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For the Pad Thai-inspired sauce, add the fish sauce, palm sugar, tamarind paste, and water to a small sauce pot, and increase the heat to medium.
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Stir until the sugar has dissolved, and then add the fresh lime juice.
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Taste, and adjust the sauce if desired. Set the sauce aside for later.
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When you are ready to start cooking, place the rice noodles in a large bowl with some warm water, and allow the noodles to soak for roughly fifteen minutes while you cook the Pad Thai. You want the noodles to soften up before they finish cooking in the hot pan.
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Add the neutral oil to a very large sauté pan or large wok, and increase the heat to high.
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When the oil is hot and nearly smoking, add the tofu or chicken. If cooking chicken, sauté until the chicken is mostly-cooked.
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When the Pad Thai noodles have softened, drain them from the water.
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Add the minced garlic, ginger, and preserved radish to the sauté pan, along with the whole eggs.
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When the eggs have mostly cooked, add the soy sauce, along with the drained rice noodles.
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Add most of the Pad Thai sauce from earlier, and toss the noodles and other components to coat completely with the sauce. Add more Pad Thai sauce if desired.
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Stir in the mung bean sprouts, and toss to coat.
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Divide the noodles among plates, and top with some finely-sliced green scallions, chopped cilantro, fresh lime wedges, and some toasted chopped peanuts.
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Serve hot. And eat with chopsticks, if you have them at home!
Note
For a spicy version, garnish with some chopped Bird’s eye chiles soaked in rice vinegar, along with a pinch of spicy red pepper flakes.
Make sure to source your bean sprouts from a vendor that you trust, as sprouts are occasionally a source of concern from a food safety perspective, especially when serving immunocompromised individuals.
