Shrimp Pad Thai

I absolutely love Thai food, but now that we have sworn off restaurants until at least 2012 (when our youngest child turns three) I don’t get to enjoy it as much as I’d like. I’ve long searched for a good Thai-inspired recipe that I could have any time the mood strikes me. When I saw this recipe I was intrigued right away. First, it doesn’t have a long list of strange ingredients. Second, it’s much healthier than most of the others I’ve found – being much lower in sodium and fat. And the thing I really love about this recipe – it’s super easy, taking about 20 minutes start to finish. So it’s even quicker than the drive to the restaurant.

I think of this more of a Thai style stir fry rather than a true Pad Thai. It’s full of fresh flavor from the abundance of vegetables. The peanut flavored sauce is the perfect blend of savory and spicy. Then the squeeze of fresh lime right at the end is just the thing to accent all those flavors. This recipe is really versatile as well – I bet once you make this you’ll start adapting it any number of different ways. Don’t like shrimp? Just substitute thinly sliced chicken instead. This version of shrimp Pad Thai has all the flavor I’ve been looking for without the work. It’s a perfect home version of a restaurant favorite.

Shrimp Pad Thai

serves 4

8 oz cooked spaghetti

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons hot water

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1/4 teaspoon hot chile sauce (I used Frank’s)

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 cups snow peas

1 cup red pepper, sliced thin

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup peanuts or cashews, chopped (optional)

4 lime wedges

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a small bowl combine teriyaki sauce, hot water, peanut butter, and hot sauce. Stir well with a whisk to combine.

Heat sesame oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add red pepper to pan and cook 2 minutes. Add garlic to pan and cook 1 minute. Add shrimp and cook two more minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in teriyaki mixture and cook 2 minutes, until thickened.

Add pasta and snow peas to pan and cook 2 minutes, stirring well to distribute sauce. Distribute onto plates and sprinkle with cilantro and nuts if using. Serve each plate with a lime wedge.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Other posts you may like:
Shrimp Scampi
Spaghetti with Meatballs
Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti