Pad Thai: Not your everyday bland noodles

After a month away at college, our middle daughter, Amanda, came home for a short visit this weekend. She said she missed us (what parent doesn't love to hear that?) and, while the dining halls at her college are a far cry better than the cafeterias of my era where mystery meat and over-cooked veggies were the only things on the menu, she said she missed home-cooked meals.
One of her favorite meals is Pad Thai. Amanda is not a vegetarian, so her meal included tiny chunks of chicken, which I have left out of this recipe. But for those of you cooking for omnivores, it’s easy to add…simply cook the meat in a bit of the sauce described here and add at the end.
Pad Thai is a hot, spicy, salty, sweet meal that is filling and easy to pack into a reusable container to take along for a road trip.
Pad is simply the Thai word for noodles. This is a basic noodle dish that is different than many other oriental dishes in that it does not include rice. It is said that it rose in popularity in Thailand during the 1930s and 40s when rice was difficult to come by in that country.
There are endless variations on the recipe. Many families have their own recipe that is a little spicier, a bit citrusier, a little less peanuty and so on. Play with the flavors and see what works best for you.
If you don’t have the rice noodles, linguini (or just plain spaghetti) works well as a subtitute.

Pad Thai

For Noodles
8 oz. Pad Thai rice noodles
2 eggs
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot (or 1/4 cup purple onion), finely chopped
2 cups bean sprouts
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup cilantro (optional – for garnish)
1/4 cup peanuts, very finely chopped (optional – for garnish)
For Sauce
1/2 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup coconut milk 1/2 teaspoon garlic cloves, minced1/2 teaspoon minced fresh red chili or a few drops of Sriracha sauce1 tablespoon fish sauce2 spring onions, sliced thinly

• Mix all the sauce ingredients and heat them over medium heat, but don’t allow them to boil.
• Meanwhile, scramble the eggs, and set aside
• Put the noodles in boiling water, leave them in the hot water for 10 minutes then drain and set aside.
• While the noodles are cooling (the hot sauce will warm the noodles when you put them together at the end), put a bit of oil into a fry pan and cook the garlic, shallot and green onions. Add the sprouts and the noodles and stir until the sprouts get a bit crispy.
• Remove from the heat and mix in the eggs.
• Pour the sauce over the noodles and vegetables and stir for just a minute. Some people like to add a squirt of lime juice to the dish for a little added pucker.
• Garnish as you like with the cilantro and the peanuts.