Thai Tuesday!

True confessions: I have the constant urge to ditch all of life's responsibilities jump on the nearest plane or steamer ship and head off to a great adventure!!! Sadly my pocketbook does not allow for this kind of galavanting...so instead I took an afternoon to read through some of my more exotic cookbooks in the hopes of having the scent of a foreign land fill the air! As I cracked open The Original Thai Cookbook by Jennifer Brennan I had no idea what I was in for! It was like I was reading a letter from a dear friend who had invited me on their summer vacation and was enticing me with tales of far away places! It was a dream come true!!!! I was whisked away to a land of noodle vendors, where the sweet scent of lemongrass drifted through the evening air and I knew I needed to whip up a Thai feast! I concocted a menu, after liberally marking recipes I wanted to make, and decided on the following: Kao Dom Gai (Chicken & Rice Soup), Pra Ram Long Song (Braised Beef & Spinach), Pad Woon Sen (Fried Cellophane Noodles) and Kanom Kluk (Coconut Pancakes). Everything was delicious but the winner of the savory dishes was the Pad Woon Sen!!!! Salty, crispy, garlicky with a hint of fish...HOLY MOLY was it amazing!!! Below is the recipe for the Pad Woon Sen...but if you want the other recipes you'll have to hit up your local used book store to find a copy of this amazing cookbook!!!  Now go have an adventure!

The book that started it all!  

Pad Woon Sen

The recipe:

3 tbsp vegetable oil

6 cloves garlic, chopped (I put in 10...but who's counting?!)

1 1/2 c. raw shrimp (can use chicken or beef)

8 oz. cellophane noodles (bean thread noodles), soaked in hot water until soft, drained and cut into 3" pieces

2 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp ground black pepper

4 tbsp roasted peanuts, coarsely pounded

1 c. bean sprouts

1 heart of celery (4 inches of the bottom of a stalk of celery works great!), finely chopped

1 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped

In a wok, heat the oil and fry the garlic until golden. Add the shrimp and cook until just turned pink. Place in the noodles, stirring and tossing. Make a hole in the center of the mixture and pour in the eggs. Slowly stir the eggs until set and the break and mix them with the noodles. Season with fish sauce and pepper. Stir in peanuts, bean sprouts and celery and cook until heated through. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve. 

Additional ideas: you can also add in shredded carrots and sliced tomatoes for more vegetable goodness! This recipe lends itself to additions of deliciousness! 

Serves 4