This is a bit of a modified recipe. Like you should do with any recipe, read it through before beginning (I have made this mistake, people, and it has resulted in many nights of delivery!) because this one gets to adding ingredients quickly and you won’t have time to run back and forth and read what’s supposed to happen next.

Since this isn’t a traditional Pad Thai, the ingredients list got pretty flexible. I used what I had on hand, and it turned out really delicious!

I didn’t like the look of the bean sprouts, so they got left out of the recipe at the last minute. I read several different recipes online and was aghast at how many ingredients I didn’t have (and wasn’t willing to drop a ton of money on – I don’t eat Pad Thai *that* much!) – so I winged it (as I tend to do when cooking anyways).

I used:

packaged Pad Thai sauce (see, I told you this would be easy!)

thin rice noodles prepared according to package (soaked in hot water for about 20 min)

one large boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into bite size pieces

(optional – a few small shrimp. I don’t use them because I’m allergic, but it’s traditional)

three organic carrots, peeled, julienned

half a crown of broccoli, cut into florets

two free range eggs

tiny bit of finely chopped garlic (if desired)

olive oil

ground peanuts

squeeze of lime

You’re supposed to use the wok for optimal temperature control for this dish. Well, I don’t have one, so…there. I used my only large sautee pan, and I got the hell over it. Heat the oil (a couple of tablespoons ought to be fine) over high heat for a minute.

Okay, here’s where things go in pretty quick succession.

Add the chicken, and cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring. Add a pinch of chopped garlic if you’re using it, and a couple tablespoons of the Pad Thai sauce.

Add carrots and broccoli, stirring.

Add your prepared, drained noodles and most of the rest of the sauce. Stir well, making sure noodles aren’t clumping. If they’re taking too long to cook fully – add a bit of water. If they’re sticking to each other, add a little more oil).

When the noodles are done (a couple of minutes, it’s not an exact science), push them to the side of the wok and crack an egg into the middle. Let set for 15 seconds, then stir everything together.

Add bean sprouts and ground peanuts (and shrimp, if you’re using them) at this point, as well as the last couple tablespoons of your sauce.

Another couple minutes over the heat and it’s done. This recipe makes two really good size bowls of pad thai. Serve with extra ground peanuts, chopped chives and squeezes of lime. DELICIOUS, even if it’s not true to the original Pad Thai. I like more veggies than they do, I guess! Enjoy!