Shrimp Pad Thai and a Delicious Side Salad

Genes are funny things. A gene can be lurking in a parent who doesn't even know it's there and then, years later, a child finds out through a blood test that she's inherited one gene from each parent that has given her some gluten intolerance. That child would be my daughter and both my husband and I each gave her a gene that was recessive in us but in her...not so much. Thankfully, it's not a severe intolerance.  She had complained about some digestive issues ever since college and recently had a blood test done to find out what was causing it.
 

So why do I have a plate full of pasta pictured as I'm talking about gluten intolerence?  That's because it's not pasta at all but wide rice noodles. For all of you who have family members or friends who have a gluten intolerance and still want to serve them a delicious meal, this is a recipe that will satisfy everyone at the table.  It was pictured in a recent Williams Sonoma catalog and found on their website.

I served this Asian-style salad that I found on Food and Wine with our meal and also some roasted asparagus.  The dressing is slightly creamy and the toasted macadamia nuts and sesame seeds gave it a nice crunch.  The salad was supposed to include Enoki mushrooms but, since I couldn't find them, I substituted cucumber which gave the salad a nice refreshing flavor. 

The dinner was a wonderful combination of flavors! 

Shrimp Pad Thai

Adapted from Williams Sonoma
Printable Recipe

Serves 4

Wide Rice Noodles (found in the Asian aisle of your food store), 14-16 oz package

1 Tbs. canola oil
1 lb. (500 g) large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used about a half pound more)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup Pad Thai noodle sauce, plus more, to taste (I used Annie Chun brand)
2 green onions, white and light green portions, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 cup (4 oz./125 g) bean sprouts

1/4 cup (1 oz./30 g) chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
Chopped cilantro leaves for garnish
Lime wedges for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

Meanwhile, in a very large nonstick sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a bowl.

Add a little more oil to the same pan to heat and then add the eggs, stirring occasionally, until lightly set but still soft, about 1 minute. Transfer the eggs to the plate with the shrimp. Remove the pan from the heat.

Add the rice noodles to the boiling water and cook until barely al dente, 3-4 minutes. Drain the noodles thoroughly and transfer to the pan or wok.

Place the pan over medium heat and return the shrimp and eggs to the pan. Add the noodle sauce, green onions, carrots and the bean sprouts. Cook, using tongs to lift and toss the noodles constantly, until the ingredients are well blended and heated through, about 1-2 minutes Taste and add more noodle sauce if desired, tossing to combine.

Transfer the noodles to a platter or serve right from the pan.

Pass the chopped peanuts, extra cilantro leaves and lime wedges at the table.

Mixed Asian Salad with Macadamia Nuts

Adapted from Food and Wine
Printable Recipe

SERVINGS: 6

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce or other hot chili sauce (I used Cholula Chili Lime sauce)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup macadamia nuts (3 ounces)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
A clam shell of organic baby mixed greens - about 1/2 to 3/4 pound
1 large cucumber, seeded and sliced

In a blender, combine the mayonnaise, rice and white wine vinegars, soy sauce, honey, ginger, sesame oil, garlic and chili sauce and process to mix. With the machine on, blend in the vegetable oil in a thin stream. Scrape the dressing into a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.

In a medium skillet, cast iron preferably, toast the macadamia nuts over moderately low heat, shaking the skillet, until the nuts are a deep golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a plate to cool. Add the sesame seeds to the skillet and toast until a deep golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the sesame seeds to a plate to cool. Coarsely chop the macadamia nuts and mix with the toasted sesame seeds.

In a large salad bowl, toss the baby greens with the sliced cucumbers. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Scatter the toasted macadamia nuts and sesame seeds all over the salad and toss briefly once more and serve.

Thai Noodle Stir-Fry with Chicken and Vegetables

There is a small, local Thai restaurant neaby that serves a wonderful Thai noodle dish called Singha Noodles that I love. Our local newspaper published their recipe for this dish in a 'You Asked For It' column in the food section a while ago and I made it.

The list of ingredients seemed somewhat short to duplicate the wonderful flavor that I recalled. I'm always just a little suspect of recipes that are shared by a restaurants. Why would they want anyone to make their dishes at home and potentially lose business?

I decided to do a web search for Thai noodle recipes just to see how other recipes for Thai noodles compared to this one and found several that sounded quite good with a variety of other seasonings.  I combined the instructions and ingredients from those that I liked and kept my fingers crossed that it would taste as good as I remembered eating in the restaurant.

The addition of eggs in the recipe reminded me of the Italian pasta carbonnara, so that is how I decided to add the eggs to my Thai noodles - at the very end. 

The stir-fry turned out delicious and exceeded my expectations. Even my husband told me I could make this again, anytime! I'm sure this will be a recurring dish here from now on.  I'm looking forward to trying it with shrimp, pork and possibly duck.

Thai Noodle Stir-Fry with Chicken

~Savoring Time in the Kitchen
Printable Recipe

Serves 2 very hungry people as a main dish.

8-oz (one box) thin rice noodles
2-4 tablespoons Canola oil
1-1/2 cups uncooked chicken breast, sliced into thin strips (you could substitute shrimp, pork or beef)
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic (about 1-2 cloves depending on size)
3 cups mixed vegetables, sliced into thin strips (I used pea pods, carrots, Napa cabbage, mushrooms and bean sprouts)
3 green onions, thinly sliced, using some of the green portion
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Sauce:

2 teaspoons yellow curry powder (I didn't have Thai curry so substituted regular curry powder)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or red pepper flakes)
1 teaspoons paprika
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup bottled Thai Fish Sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon (or to taste) bottled Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce
1 tablespoon bottled Sesame Oil

Place rice noodles in a large bowl with enough cool water to cover and soak for one hour, or until the noodles are white and no longer transparent but remain al dente. Drain and wrap in a damp towel until ready to use. Meanwhile, slice vegetables and chicken and place into individual bowls. Place eggs into a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork.

Place all sauce ingredients into a medium bowl and stir to blend.

Have a platter or bowl ready beside the frying pan.

When you have everything prepared for the stir fry, heat a very large skillet or wok over medium-high heat with 1-2 tablespoons of oil. You may also add a splash of sesame oil to the pan which I did. When the pan is ready, first add the harder vegetables, such as the carrot, and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the pea pods, mushrooms and cabbage and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes, then add the bean sprouts and green onion and stir fry for 1 minute. Remove the vegetables from the frying pan and place them on the platter.

Add another 1-2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and another splash of sesame oil, if desired, and heat. Add the sliced chicken pieces and stir fry until fully cooked and no longer pink - about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and stir fry for 1 minute. Return the vegetables to the pan and add the sauce. When the sauce starts to bubble, add the beaten eggs. Stir and toss quickly until the eggs are fully cooked, about 1 more minute.  Add the rice noodles and toss with the chicken/vegetable mixture.  Adjust seasonings, if necessary and serve immediately.

This is the brand of noodles that I found at my local store: