Thai Style Noodles

My favorite Thai noodle dish is Pad Kee Mao or Drunken Noodles. Thanks to It's a Vegan World - Thai event, I decided to try this at home. When I searched the web, this recipe looked close to the Pad Kee Mao I get at my favorite Thai restaurant. The nearest Asian store in the neighboring town did not carry the flat sen-yai noodles that this requires. The owner promised to get me some the next day but even a week later, she did not have them. So I figured I'd adapt the recipe with what I had in hand. This turned out a bit different because of the noodles and other variations but still it was one delicious dish! Since this isn't exactly Pad Kee Mao, I'm calling it Thai Style Noodles :)



Ingredients:
For the marinade:
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp palm sugar
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp red chili flakes

1 tbsp oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped fine
2-3 dry red chilies
1 small onion, chopped
1 small block of tofu cut into small cubes
1 small red pepper, cut into strips
1 bunch spring onions, cut into long strips
handful cilantro leaves
salt to taste

1 pack Ching's Hakka noodles

Method: First prepare the marinade and marinate the tofu. Chop vegetables. Prepare the noodles as per instruction. While the noodles are cooking, heat oil in a wok. When it gets very hot, add crushed garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Add dry red chillies, onions and red peppers and continue to saute on high heat, for about a minute. Add marinated tofu, the remaining marinade and cooked noodles. Mix well. Adjust seasonings. Add spring onions and cilantro.

The red chillies I used were not hot enough, so I added about a tsp of red chili paste (sambal oelek). Next time over, I'd also increase the amount of red chili flakes in the marinade. I normally do not like chunky tofu in dishes but the marinade made a world of difference!

I will try the original Pad Kee Mao with sen-yai noodles some day soon for sure. The flat noodles give a different texture & taste to the dish.

Closer Look -


This is going to Priya for IAVW-Thai event, which was started by Vaishali. It is events like these that give us the impetus to prepare dishes that we've been meaning to make for ages! Thank you both for that too!


Priya passed me this wonderful "I love your blog" badge. Thanks so much, Priya! I truly cherish this!