How to Make Chicken Pad Thai

Have you ever enjoyed a restaurant meal so much you wished you could re-create it at home? Perhaps you looked on the internet for how to make that memorable dish from your own home kitchen only to be disappointed with the results and discouraged by what you hoped would be a hit with friends and family. If it makes you feel better, I have experienced this myself on occasion. However, there was a time early on in my marriage when my husband and I lived paycheck to paycheck, which left very little for luxuries like an evening out at our favorite restaurant if it were not a very special occasion.

Growing up in a family with little means prepared me for times when I needed to be frugal, resourceful, and creative. One valuable skill I developed over the years was to re-create my favorite restaurant dishes at home not only because it was much less expensive, but because I could adjust the ingredients to suit my own personal taste and preferences. I have this uncanny gift for tasting dishes and dissecting the flavor profile in order to make my own (better) version. Often I would not be satisfied with my first version but I felt challenged to keep trying until I got it just right. This was especially true with my favorite Asian dishes.

Today I have a recipe for Chicken Pad Thai, a popular restaurant Thai dish. I always order this dish when I eat at Thai restaurants and there are many times I can proudly say I like my home version better. It is made with Tamarind and a slight hint of palm sugar (instead of ketchup, which is a common substitute).

Here is a great tip: make the sauce first and use it as your stir-fry sauce. Use my recipe as a base and adapt it to your liking. If you prefer sweeter, then add a little bit more palm sugar. If you like it a little more sour, add more tamarind. The same goes for garlic. By making sure you have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go, your path to Pad Thai success will be rewarded, saving you money and most importantly time a valuable commodity for busy parents.