Pad Thai with Chicken (Pad Thai Gai)

Arguably the most famous Thai dish of them all, Pad Thai is a favourite in both Thailand and abroad. Its ribbons of rice noodles that are stir fried with soy sauce, egg, vegetables and meat. Typically, this is a dish that is sold by street vendors or in pad thai shops.

This particular version uses chicken but this can easily be substituted with prawns, tofu or pork. The dish is usually made with 'pad thai' tofu which is hard tofu that is coloured bright yellow on the outside with tumeric. Peanuts and mung beans are add a delicious depth to the flavour of the pad thai and also provide extra nutrients and are high in vitamins too.

Cooking Time - 10 minutes

Preparation time - 10 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

150g chicken

2 garlic cloves

2 small red chilli's (optional)

100g rice noodles

1 egg

1 small carrot

1 lime

small handful mung beans

1 Tbsp crushed peanuts

3 – 4 garlic chives

1 – 2 shallots

1 piece choy sum

1 cup water

Cooking Time – 5 minutes

Preparation Time – 10 minutes

Serves 4

Method

1. Finely dice the garlic and chilli. Peel and chop the carrot into thin pieces about 1 inch long. Wash the choy sum, shallots, garlic chives and mung beans. Roughly chop the choy sum, slice the shallots and cut the garlic chives into 2 inch long pieces.
2. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Fry the garlic and chilli for one minute.
3. Turn the heat of the wok up and add the thinly sliced raw chicken. Cook until it changes colour and add the carrot. Cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the rice noodles and a little water to the wok, stirring the noodles into the water. Add more water to soften the noodles and continue to move the noodles around.
5. Add the choy sum, shallots and garlic chives to the wok and mix well, adding a little water if required.
6. 

   Turn the heat of the wok down and move the ingredients in the wok to one side. Next, crack the egg into the wok and cook for 1 minute, breaking the yolk so that it cooks through.
7. Stir all the ingredients together, including the egg and add the fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar.
8. Turn heat off, add the mung beans and toss to combine.
9. Serve with a sprinkle of mung beans & chopped peanuts plus a wedge of lime.