Pad Thai

         I am back with a new recipe today after almost 2 weeks of vacation to the paradise of Hawaii. While  we were there, we missed Thai food a lot. Being vegetarians, it is somewhat difficult to find a good Thai place that serves pure vegetarian dishes since most of the dishes have fish sauce or anchovies - especially in Hawaii. But we both love Thai food, so that motivated me to try it at home.

         Pad Thai is one of the most popular dishes from Thailand, at least in USA. Whenever you visit any Thai restaurant, you will always find this in the menu. If you are new to Thai cuisine, Pad Thai will definitely be a a safe option to try. It is basically Thai version of Noodles.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet Thai Rice Noodles
• 2 cloves crushed Garlic
• 2 Green Onions chopped
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2-3 tbsp Hot Sauce/Chili Sauce
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup Crushed Peanuts
• 1.5 cup cubes of Firm Tofu
• 2 tbsp Oil 
• Salt to taste
• Cilantro for Garnish

Instructions:

• Cook the rice noodles as per the direction on the package.
• Drain in cold water and keep them aside
• Take a pan, add little oil to it and fry the tofu till golden brown and keep it aside.

• Heat some oil in a wok or a pan, add garlic to it
• Saute it for a min and then add the onions and half of green onions 
• Saute it for 2-3 mins or till onions turns translucent.

• Now add the sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, crushed peanuts, hot sauce and mix it well.
• Then add the fried tofu to it
• Now reduce the heat to low and add the cooked noodles to this sauce and toss it properly so that it is mixed completely. 
• Make sure you stir it continuously so that noodles don't stick to the pan or get burnt.
• Since Soy Sauce has a good amount of salt in it, add additional salt only if needed
• Garnish it with cilantro and remaining green onions and serve it hot with a wedge of lime/lemon