Quick & Light Pad Thai
By Kathleen Daelemans for Prevention magazine

On Cooking Rice Noodles... Soaking them in cold water for 40-50 minutes will get the job done. Alternatively, place them in a shallow dish and cover with boiling water. Let stand for 20 minutes. My favorite method: place noodles in a shallow dish, add just enough water to barely cover the noodles and cook in the microwave, uncovered for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through. Let stand in the water until you're ready to use them.

The skinny on fresh versus bottled versus lime-juice from concentrate; they all have their virtues. In this recipe, only fresh will do. Squeeze it yourself or if you can afford the splurge, buy fresh squeezed. When limes are labeled for quick sale, I buy up a dozen or so, juice them all at once and freeze them in one quarter cup increments for easy use.

Prep before service. In the restaurant business we prep absolutely everything possible before the doors open and the tickets start rolling in. When I'm cooking at home, I find it a lot harder to throw in the kitchen towel and order carry out when I've committed to the process by getting ahead on the prep.

A night ahead or the morning of... Prepare the sauce by whisking together the lime juice, water, fish sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, cayenne and one teaspoon dark sesame oil. Store in a container with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator.

Set up the sauté station. Place the noodles and peanuts inside the pan you'll cook the Pad Thai in; a 12-inch, non-stick skillet or any kind of wok will do. Add a pair of tongs, and a heat proof spoonula or wooden spoon (to stir the garlic, tofu, egg and green onion with).

Ingredients

8	ounces rice stick noodles

	Juice of two limes (about 1/2 cup fresh lime juice) plus one lime quartered, for garnish
2/3	cup water
1/4	cup fish sauce
2	Tablespoons rice vinegar
2	Tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2	teaspoon cayenne
1	teaspoon dark sesame oil

1	teaspoon dark sesame oil
2	cloves garlic, finely minced
4	firm tofu, thinly sliced or cubed
1/2	cup thinly sliced scallions, (white and green is okay)
1	egg plus two egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2	pound ground chicken
4	cups bean sprouts
1	cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
	T-1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped

	Cook rice noodles according to package instructions. Set aside.
	Prepare the sauce. In a small non-reactive bowl whisk together lime juice, water, fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, cayenne, and one teaspoon of the oil. Set aside.
	Place wok or 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the garlic and tofu and cook, turning once until garlic is fragrant and tofu is a light golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
	When the garlic and tofu are light golden brown, add green onions to the pan and let cook 1-2 minutes or until just wilted. Pour the egg over the garlic and tofu. Do not stir until the egg has set up and is just barely cooked. Stir gently. Using a spatula, gently push this mixture to the side of the pan.
	Add ground chicken to the pan and cook 3-4 minutes or until done. Add the bean sprouts and gently stir until all ingredients are just barely combined.
	Stir in noodles and sauce and simmer just until the sauce tightens up and clings to the noodles, about 4-5 minutes.
	Serve immediately, garnishing each plate with a lime wedge, 2 teaspoons chopped peanuts and a generous small-handful of cilantro leaves.

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