PAD THAI

Loved by many around the world, this dish has a bit of history. During WWII the country needed something to rally national morale, a theme her citiznes could identify with and someone .... no record who should be credited .... came up with this innovative idea of a 'National Noodle'. Noodle because it is cheap, and the ingredients were inexpensive ie mostly veggies, dried tofu cubes, and hardly any meats. The key was, the recipe was nourishing. It caught on immediately as 'Kui Tiew Phad Thai' or 'Noodles Fried Thai Style' then, but has since gained its fame gradually as 'Pad Thai' which is a global brand.


Like Italian pasta, Thai noodles come in different sizes, and the most common are (1) 'sen yai' which we call 'ho fun' at home (2) 'sen mee' which is 'mee fun or mee hoon' and the one in between is (3) 'sen lek' which is perfect for frying, if you ask me. Why, because it does not stick as easily. Again it is magically simple, once you are given the 'tips' along the way. For instance, soften the 'sen lek' in a hot wok, with a splash of water ... no oil yet .... to get the noodles going, so to speak. It works wonders. We each prepared 2 variation of the theme. At the top is the fancy omelette style that holds the noodles like a filling. Below is just plain stir fry, mixing the eggs in the noodles which I think yields more flavors, although not as glamorous.

They will be my 2-course dinner tonight. Pad Thai as appetizer, to be followed by Pad Thai as the main. Yes,they are that good and yes, I cooked them!