Recipe of the month: Vegetarian Pad Thai

Victory is finally mine. After months of experimenting with this recipe, cooking far too much of it in the process while making major and subsequently minor tweaks, I'm pleased to present (what I think) is pretty authentic Pad Thai albeit a vegetarian version 😁 And yes, you can legit argue with me that Pad Thai isn't authentically vegetarian but this is a good recipe okay. Trust me on this because over the past decade, I've eaten Pad Thai innumerable times both in Thailand and outside, some good and some bad so I know a thing or two about it. 

Pad Thai is my most favourite Thai dish and I don't see that changing any time soon. This is the dish that I evaluate all Thai restaurants by. I prefer it over a Thai green or red curry any day. I know I've said this before (read my previous post on Thai Green Curry) but I am very predictable when it comes to Thai food. I love the usual crowd pleasers - tom yum soup, spring rolls, raw mango salad, papaya salad, pad thai, khao pad, and mango sticky rice pudding. I do like the Thai-style curries but unlike my husband, they don't figure in my most favourite dishes from the cuisine. I prefer eating a small portion of rice and curry only occasionally. 

I've been failing miserably to make Pad Thai since my second visit to Thailand back in 2006. I have made more blunders making this dish than any other dish 😝 I've used fettuccini instead of the typical rice stick noodles (*hangs head in shame*), on the occasions I've used rice noodles, I've overcooked them and turned them into mush (uh-oh!), I assumed using peanut butter would be a good idea and have been heavy-handed with it (ugh!), I've shied away from using tofu (big mistake), been woefully ignorant about how important tamarind is (*rolls eyes*), I've used tomato ketchup in the sauce (*shudders*) and either used too much or too less of soy sauce resulting in either an overpowering or bland finished product (*sighs*). Getting that perfect balance of flavours and textures seemed like an unattainable dream. Blunders aside, I convinced myself that not using fish sauce or shrimp was never going to make my Pad Thai taste authentic anyway but I soon realized I was mistaken. 

Let me tell you what I learned during this recipe testing endeavor, 

• You need to use the right kind of noodles folks. It has to be flat rice noodles. Not rice vermicelli or any wheat-based noodle. My two cents - if you don't have the right kind of noodles then its not worth making this dish. If you do, please don't call it Pad Thai coz that's just insulting 😆 It is critical that the noodles have to be cooked until pliable but al dente. They have to be drained, rinsed with cold water, drained again and tossed with a little oil until use
• Aromatics like fresh ginger and garlic provide great flavour so don't skimp. The Thai bird’s eye chilli is not mandatory (you can use dried red chilli flakes) but it does give that tantalizing fiery kick which is commonly associated with Thai food.
• I have found that tamarind is the  magic ingredient in this recipe. It gives the required sourness and also helps to impart some color. I have the concentrated bottled extract which I dissolve in hot water but even better if you can use it in its dried fruit form and soak it in hot water until you get the extract
• I like to use the Lee Kum Kee brand of premium light soy sauce because it is really good. I’m not sure if dark soy sauce will work as well. Regarding the other sauces, fish sauce and oyster sauce are commonly added but you can either skip them or buy the vegetarian substitutes 
• You just have to add eggs (if you consume it). I believe that eggs in Pad Thai are an important ingredient.They add a kind of creaminess to the dish which makes it so delicious. In case you are vegan, use soft tofu
• Bean sprouts and roasted peanuts are an absolute MUST. Incorporate them into the noodles and even add some more on the side while serving. The crunchy texture makes for a delightful addition.
• Brown sugar adds that much needed mellow sweetness to round out the flavour. You could use jaggery powder instead as well. White sugar is not a good enough substitute so if you don’t have brown sugar, please go to the supermarket and get it 😛
• The addition of tofu is important too. Use an extra-firm tofu and shallow fry till brown on both sides.
• Greens like spring onion (or chives) and cilantro not only add color but also add freshness and flavour
• I find that I don't really need the lime but my husband disagrees so by all means, squeeze away.

i

This recipe doesn't have too many ingredients (and none of the ingredients are expensive) so make sure you have everything before you start. From start to finish you can easily be done in an hour so this can feature in your weekly or weekend menu. 

If you have made up your mind to try out this recipe, I'm excited for you! Let me know how it goes 😊

Plushopedic Memory Fluff Pillow from SleepWiz

Product review

So if you remember, not very long ago, I had done a product review for the ErgoLush Mattress Topper from SleepWiz. I am still using the mattress topper and it works great. I mostly have my good sleep days (6+ hours) and the rare bad sleep days (≤5 hours of sleep) but insomnia hasn't reared its ugly head since the past few months. 

The good folks at SleepWiz asked me if I would review a new product which has just begun garnering retail presence. Considering the pleasant interaction with them in the past, their professionalism and how beneficial their last product has been for me, I obliged without second thoughts.

Let's face it - most pillows suck! I've lost count of the number of pillows we have disposed over the years because they just weren't serving their purpose effectively. They are either too soft, too firm, too big or too flat. Waking up with a crick in your neck or not feeling truly well rested has a lot to do with the kind of pillow you use.

Most classic pillows are either overly bouncy (especially those overfilled synthetic ones) or unsupportive, and they often bend your head in an awkward manner. This is because they rely on fiber "crimp" for their plushness, which act like springs when the fibers are amassed together as in a pillow. The resistance it provides increases very rapidly when depressed, so they end up overly bouncy when overfilled, or just collapse when the filling isn't dense enough. Fibers also lose their "crimp" quickly, which will cause pillows to lose their volume and support. On the other hand, memory foam pillows are great for neck support, but many users may feel that the weird contoured shapes these pillows are molded into simply do not look comfortable, especially since most of them do not need very specialized support.

The Plushopedic Memory Fluff Pillow combines the adaptive support of memory foam and the plush comfort of a classic pillow. Sounds good right?

A little about the science behind it - the Plushopedic pillow is filled with "memory fluff", which is an interlocking cross-cut memory foam. It cradles your head and neck to optimize the supportive pressure just like one-piece molded memory foam pillows, but is luxurious and cuddly just like a classic pillow - basically the best of both worlds. It'll feel plush to lie on when you head first hits the pillow, and feel buoyant and supportive as the memory fluff slowly absorbs your head. It may be likened to lying on the tummy of a giant teddy bear. The memory fluff is blended with a small fraction of conventional responsive foam to increase the plushness of the pillow when you first lie on it. This filling can also be shifted around to achieve your desired pillow loft and shape, just like a down pillow.