Ever wonder why the neighborhood Thai take out place always give you pad thai as the complimentary item if you exceed a certain ticket amount?  Because pad thai is so easy to make and the cost of the ingredients pretty darn low.  This is what they call it in business schools term, highly leverage items.  Low cost, low work, high flavor, high rewards.  The secret is really in the sauce.  Once you boil a vat of it, place it in jars and it will last forever, or at least till you run out. Everytime you feel like a pad thai, it will take you literally a few minutes to whip out the yummy dish.

Chef’s tip: Make it in small batches – no more than 2 servings at a time. You can sub the shrimp with meat of your choice.

Sauce:
2/3 cup tamarind concentrate
2/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup fish sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup palm sugar
3 Tablespoons garlic powder
1/4 cup Sriracha chili sauce

Noodles:
1 lb dried rice flat noodles, soaked in warm water 30 mins, drained
½ cup canola oil
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ cup firm tofu, cut into small ¼ X ½  X 1 inch strips
1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
12 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
6 Tablespoons pickled sweet radish, chopped finely
1 bunch Chinese chives, cut into 2 inch length (substitute with green onions if unavailable)
4 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 cup roasted and unsalted peanuts, finely chopped

2 Lime, cut into wedges, for garnish

Prepare the sauce:
1.     Combine tamarind, vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, palm sugar, garlic powder and Sriracha in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce becomes thick, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Prep mise-en-place:
2.     Separate all ingredients into 4 batches, including sauce and placed mise-en-place.
Cook noodles in batches:
3.     Heat a wok over high heat until smoking. Add a Tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the sides. Add the egg and fry for 1 minute, move it to the side.
4.     Next, add the tofu and fry till it is golden.  Move it to the side of the wok.
5.     Next add another Tablespoon of oil, then garlic and shrimp.   When the shrimp is pink, add in the radish.
6.     Next, stir in noodles, followed by the pad thai sauce. Toss back eggs and tofu. Toss to coat noodles.  Let the sauce boil and cook the noodles.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, until the sauce is absorbed.  Do not over stir or else the noodles will fall apart.  Check the noodles for doneness. If they are not completely cooked through, add more sauce or water. Immediately remove the wok from the heat.
7.     Stir in half the beansprouts and half the chives. Toss together and transfer noodles to a large serving platter. Scatter peanuts on top.  Place remaining bean sprouts, chives, and lime on the side. Serve immediately.
8.     Repeat for subsequent batches.

Serves 8

Tags: noodles, street fo, Thai.

On a cold rainy day like this, a nice hot bowl of “tong suey” warms the body like no other.  This wonderful sweet soup is relatively high in protein and has gingko nuts which is supposed to be good for you.

Chef’s tip: Tying the pandan leaves into a knot crushes the leave cells, releasing the fragrant oils of the plant.  Poaching the eggs without heat leaves the egg nice and tender.

12 cups water
1 cup pearled barley
3 pandan leaves, tied into a knot
3 sheets yuba
1 cup gingko nuts, shelled
1 cup rock sugar, to taste
2 eggs

1. Rinse pearled barley.  Add water and bring to boil.  Simmer for one hour till the “soup” is cloudy.
2. Add in  pandan leaves, yuba skin and gingko nuts and simmer another 15 minutes.
3. Remove pandan leaves,  add sugar, still till melted.
4. Remove from heat.  Break the eggs into the sweet soup, wait 20 seconds, then stir very slowly to break the yolks to form “egg flower”.
5.     Ladle the sweet soup into bowls.  Serve piping hot.

Serves: 8

Tags: Chinese, Dessert.

My mom makes the most silky steamed eggs.  I tried making the dish many times and ended up with eggs that are either too runny, scrambled or overcooked — what she would call “pock marked and more wrinkled face than the old grandmother”.  Her secret: she whisks in hot water into the eggs — an extreme egg  tempering method.  By bringing the eggs to a higher temperature before steaming, it helps the eggs cook faster and more evenly.

A cousin of the Japanese Chawan Mushi, the Chinese steamed egg is fuller bodied and thicker.  This 3 “king” eggs recipe (and I mean 3 different types of eggs, not the count) is a delicious combination of century eggs (pi dan) and salted duck eggs suspended in a regular egg custard.  You can also add some ground pork simply seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper.

Chef’s tip: As provided by my mom above!

2 eggs
1 salted duck egg
1 century egg
1 cup hot water

1. In a small bowl, whisk the chicken eggs and the whites of the salted duck egg together.  While whisking, slowly pour in the hot water.
2. In the meantime, bring a steamer to boil with an empty dish that will hold the eggs.  A stainless steel or enamel plate works best.
3. Cut up the duck egg into 6 wedges and scatter over the plate.  Repeat with the pi dan.  (If using ground pork, add it here, too).  Bring steamer to boil, covered.
4. When water comes to a boil, pour in the egg mixture.
5. Cover the steamer and continue steaming for 5 minutes under medium heat.  The egg is done when the center is jiggly.
6.  Drizzle on some shallot oil and soy sauce before serving.

Shallot oil
2 shallots, sliced thinly
1 cup canola oil

Heat canola oil on medium heat.
Add sliced shallots and cook till golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Pour cooled oil into a jar — it will keep for weeks.

Tags: Chinese, Malaysian.