Recipe: Easy Pad Thai

Pad Thai is a noodle dish from Thailand. Tradionally, it is made with peanuts, egg, fish sauce, tamarind paste, lime, rice noodles and Thai chillies.

This recipe is a mid-week and "great everyday meal" version using readily availble ingredients. I took out the tamarind paste and fish sauce and substituted rice noodles with spaghettini.

I also used a go-to staple in my kitchen, rotiserrie chicken. I took one breast and shreddded the meat. To add a healthier ingredient, I also used cubed, extra-firm tofu that I pan fried until golden brown and sprinkled with Paprika. Your kids will think it's chicken…mine did!
The result is great restaurant style meal to spruce up your midweek dinner menu.

TIP: Add as much or as little vegetables you want to this dish. Bean sprouts, cilantro leaves, and red cabagge are also traditional ingredients you add. But feel free to get creative and experiment with zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, asparagus and eggplant. You can use whatever you want!




EASY PAD THAI


1/2 lb of spaghettini pasta – cooked to al dente
1 cup of salted peanuts – roughly chopped
1/2 head of green cabbage – slice
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup yellow onions – sliced
1 rotisserie chicken breast – shredded
1 package of cubed extra-firm tofu – pan fried
2 tsp of Serrano Pepper – finely diced
5 eggs – scrambled


PAD THAI SAUCE


1/3 cup of low sodium soy sauce
2 TBL brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 cup of low sodium chicken stock
Juice of 1 lemon

Wisk all ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

In a large saute pan, eat 2 TBL of canola oil (or peanut oil) on medium/high heat. Add the onion and diced Serrano Peppers and saute for 2 minutes. Add rotisserie chicken, cabbage and shredded carrots. Toss around for about 1 minute and add the sauce mixture. Toss the vegetables around for about 1 minute.

In a large mixing bowl, put in the cooked spaghettini. When the vegetable mixture is done, toss it in with the noodles until all the ingredients are fully mixed together.

Top with chopped peanuts and serve.




Contact:


Johanna M. Cook
johanna@mommacuisine.com
http://mommacuisine.com/

COOKING SHOW: http://www.youtube.com/mommacuisineshow
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/mommacuisine

Momma Cuisine is about empowering moms to create "Great Everyday Meals" by using simple ingredients and basic cooking techniques.

Mung Bean and Spinach Soup (Mongo)

You can't help but crave for hearty soups in the fall and winter seasons. This recipe is actually a classic Filipino soup made with mung beans. Mung beans are small, lentil-like split beans.

Mung beans are commonly used in Chinese cuisine, where they are called l? dòu (??, literally "green bean"), as well as in Burma, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Pakistan, India, and Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, they are called ??u xanh (again, literally "green bean"). They are generally eaten either whole (with or without skins) or as bean sprouts, or used to make the dessert "green bean soup". The starch of mung beans is also extracted from them to make jellies and "transparent/cellophane" noodles. Many people make the common mistake of thinking that the transparent wrapping of Vietnamese spring rolls is made from mung bean flour. However, it is actually made of rice flour, tapioca starch, water, and salt. In Filipino cuisine, meat is sauteed with garlic, onions, and bay leaves, then mung beans are added and cooked. Mung batter is used to make crepes named pesarattu in Andhra Pradesh, India. (WIKIPEDIA)

This soup is definitely hearty, delicious, easy and fantastic over fluffy Jasmine rice.

READ THE FULL RECIPE

Chicken Katsu

Katsu is short for katsuretsu or cutlet, and was invented in Japan in the 19th Century. The most popular Japanese version is the Tonkatsu, using a pork cutlet. This version uses chicken cutlet. The only way to make any Katsu is to use Panko breadcrumbs. It is made with bread without crumbs and is a lot crispier than the average breadcrumbs you find in the grocery isles. The end result is an awesomely crispy fried Katsu!



CHICKEN KATSU

3 chicken breasts
Panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable Oil
2 large eggs
2-3 TBL of water
Salt
Pepper

Slice each chicken breast in half and lightly pound thin in between plastic wrap. Be careful not to tear the chicken and pound it too thinly. Pat dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Beat 2 large eggs in bowl and add water and 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Take a deep dish and pour breadcrumbs inside. Take each seasoned chicken breast and dip in egg mixture, taking out the excess. Then, put the chicken in the dish of breadcrumbs and make sure both sides are fully coated with breadcrumbs. Coat all the chicken pieces and set aside.

Heat a large skillet in medium/high heat with 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Keep oil handy as you may need to add more in the pan because the breadcrumbs absorb the oil. Place only 1-2 chicken breasts in the pan at a time. Cook until golden brown and the edges of the chicken become to turn opaque and flip.

Serve with Tonkatsu sauce and over fluffy Jasmine rice.