Chicken Pad Thai and Thai Style Cucumber Salad

Chicken Pad Thai for the win!! I used to have this awesome cookbook of authentic Thai and Vietnamese food, but it got lost during one of my moves 3 years ago, as did ALL of my cookbooks. I'm still unhappy about that, I had some pretty awesome ones, including one from Brennan's of Houston I was given when I worked there that was signed by the author, who was my GM at the time. :( Oh well. The smell of fish sauce always make me think of Imperial spring rolls, and thinking of that always makes me think of this awesome Pho place back home. I could smell the fish sauce on my hands all evening, from picking up after messy baby, and there's a Pho place a few blocks away from me here, so I know what I'm having for dinner on Husband's next duty day!! I am craving some Pho!! I also made a Thai-style cucumber salad. It was very yummy, too!!



For the pad thai;
This recipe takes about 35 minutes to prep and cook.

8 ounces right noodles
1/4 cup salted peanuts, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
3 tablespoons fish sauce
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Asian chile sauce (This was a little spicy for husband, so cut back if you want it more mild.)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
cooking spray
1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
2 green onions, sliced thinly on the bias
2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro

Place rice noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Allow to soak for 10 minutes, or until pliable but not soft.

For peanut topping, combine lime zest and peanuts in a small bowl and toss. Set aside.

In another small bowl, combine fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and chile sauce and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the sesame oil over medium high heat and spray with cooking spray. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan with the garlic. Cook and stir until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Spray the pan again and add the egg. Cook for 30 seconds, flip, and cook another 30 to 60 seconds until set. Remove from pan and chop.

In the same skillet, heat the canola oil over high heat. Add the bean sprouts and rice noodles, and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the sauce and chicken, toss and cook for another minute, until heated through. Divide among 4 plates and top with the egg, green onion, cilantro, and peanut mixture.

This recipe serves 4.

For the cucumber salad;
This recipe takes about 5 minutes to prep.

juice from 2 limes
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 large jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cucumbers, thinly sliced on the bias
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Whisk the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, jalapeno, and garlic together in a large bowl. Add cucumbers, onion, and mint and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

This recipe serves 4.

Enjoy, guys! It's really good!!