Pad Thai

One of my very first posts on easy dinners included Pad Thai.  Since that post, I have gotten more adventurous with my Pad Thai.  Initially I only used prepackaged Pad Thai sauces, but I have found a simple Pad Thai recipe that, as my boss puts it, has the perfect amount of tang.  Why has my boss tried my Pad Thai?  Good question.  At work we have a lunch club of about 15 coworkers.  Every other week, one member of the club cooks lunch for the rest of the group.  This week was my turn. As you can see, I made Pad Thai...and a lot of it. About half of the club is vegetarian, so each week the meal is either vegetarian, or has a meat option and a vegetarian-friendly option.  I opted to make mine entirely meat-free.

The first step to making Pad Thai is to soak the rice noodles according to the directions on the package.  While the noodles are soaking,  start preparing the rest of the dish.  First, scramble an egg (or two, or three, or four, depending on how many you are serving) in some olive oil.  Then, add in whatever toppings are going in your Pad Thai.  This time I used a yellow pepper, an orange pepper, a red pepper, frozen broccoli,  snap peas, onion, and edamame for some protein. I cooked these until they were tender.  Here's a close up of all the vegetables:

 

 As you can see, there were a TON of vegetables involved. After they were cooked, I needed to expand to my wok and largest pot to add in the noodles. 

 

After the noodles were added, I also added the sauce, made up of fish sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar.  The final step is to add in bean sprouts.  I love how bean sprouts give the dish that little bit of crunch. Finally, serve with some fresh cilantro and lime.