Kiki & Bug

I know what you’re all thinking… another Thai recipe?! Yes, I’m obsessed, sorry not sorry. Thai food is delicious and yummy and I LOVE it. One of my all time favorite dishes is pad thai. I’ve only attempted to make it a couple of times because it’s honestly a bit intimidating. There’s several ingredients and with Thai food there’s often difficulty perfecting the sauce flavor ratio. Plus, you want to make it spicy without it being too spicy… more difficult than it seems. Here is a recipe, with a few tweaks from me, that never fails and is sure to make your belly extremely happy!

Ingredients:

• 12 oz dried rice noodles
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/8 cup fish sauce (can add more if you feel it needs more)
• 2 Tbsp. tamarind paste (if you cant find this, use ketchup or premade pad thai sauce)
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into thin strips
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup coarsely ground peanuts
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1 Tbsp paprika, or to taste
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• red pepper flakes, to taste (optional- I throw a few in for extra spice/heat)

Directions:

1. Place rice noodles in a large bowl and cover with several inches of room temperature water. Let soak for 30-60 minutes. Drain.
2. Whisk sugar, vinegar, fish sauce, and tamarind paste in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, remove from heat.
3. Heat 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook and stir until chicken is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil and minced garlic in a large pan or wok over medium heat. Stir in eggs, scramble until eggs are nearly cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add cooked chicken breast slices and rice noodles, stir to combine.
5. Stir in tamarind mixture, 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and salt, cook until noodles are tender, 3-5 minutes. Stir in peanuts, cook until heated through, 1-2 minutes. Garnish with bean sprouts, chives, paprika, and lime wedges.

Enjoy, y’all! Till next time!

xoxo- Kristen Jean