Pad Thai...with out the bean sprouts???.....yep.... >

I wanted to make this properly, and have tried it a few times, to get the rhythm down, and still be able to snap a pic or two, but I managed to leave the bean sprouts out. In my defense, I do have two refrigerators in my kitchen, and some times, things get left out....I hate it, but with new recipes, these things happen....so, on to the pseudo-demo of Pad Thai.

I also want to thank Reto for suggesting this, and in the spirit of the Chinese New Year I tried some different things. Bulgogi a few nights ago (korean) Steamed fish and pot stickers, but I wanted to get the Pad thai on the blog. Keep in mind, this is actually a very fast paced dish to cook. It is in reality street food in Singapore, but given the space and competition, the people cooking in the streets have developed this dish to perfection, and with amazing speed at that. I tried to take my time, and take a few pics along the way, just so you know, a novice can produce really flavorful food with some effort, but nothing that will kill you. :)
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We'll start here.
A cup of shrimp, 1/2 cup of pad thai sauce (I'll sort that out later...), prepared radish ( the original recipe called for turnip....I don't really like turnip, so, radish it is) I chose radish, and did pickle them myself. Half a shallot, Chinese chives, two cloves of garlic, and about a 1/4 cup of firm tofu (firm)....I should note now, there should be a 1/4 cup of bean sprouts on that board....sorry....I'll do better next time....so.

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I also have some Rice noodles soaking in some water......if in doubt...undersoak. You can always add watch later....it's harder to take it out.

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here is everything broken down and prepped...

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OK...here we go....and remember, I'm cooking and taking pics at the same time...so don't beef about either! :).......add the garlic and shallot...
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just let it take on a bit of color....nothing dark, it'll cook quick.....we're talking med-high heat here....if it were a good wok, and you knew how to operate it well, you'd be on some really high heat.
Add in the shrimp.....now, I did use more shrimp than most would...but I really like shrimp. I also rinsed the shrimp, so some extra water was on there....let that water steam off...or you'll have a rather mushy dish.
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Lets throw in the tofu....work that in a bit. Tofu will brown up and get nice and crispy if you let it, and it will basically take on any flavor you pair it with.

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Add the eggs.......I used two, personal tastes, but I'd recommend using just one. For the sake of visual effect....two does look better.
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Work those eggs around a bit, after they start to firm up some, then..we'll add the chives and the rice noodles, and top that off with the pad thai sauce...
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OK...work that all around till it's all nice and mixed. The noodles with take on a nice brownish color. It should not be red and oily, as most western versions of pad thai are......and, at this point, you would add the bean sprouts and the preserved turnips.

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I'm afraid since I used radish instead of turnips, and left the bean sprouts out, that will conclude this installment of my blog.

side note.....I discovered this by accident, but the pickled radish tastes a bit like gari (pickled ginger served with sushi), not as hot, but does cleanse the palate.

Cheers and enjoy, greg.