By Emily Weinstein, The New York Times
Like a lot of people around the world, I love pad thai, with its intricate and craveable combination of flavors and textures.
But it’s because I love pad thai that I stopped ordering it for delivery a long time ago. The stir-fried noodles were always gloopy and globbed when they arrived at my door. The flavors had dulled, and the contrasting textures that make the dish so delicious in restaurants had all slumped together. Like tacos, pad thai is one of those foods that’s meant to be eaten the moment it’s assembled. Every minute after that, you’re looking at diminishing returns.
This is why I promise it’s better (and very easy) to make pad thai at home if you can’t go to a great Thai restaurant to get it freshly cooked. We have a new vegetarian (and easy to veganize) version below, along with four other great options for the week.
1. Vegetarian Pad Thai
When dining out or ordering in, a vegetarian pad thai can be hard to come by, as fish sauce is often used to attain the signature salty, savory flavors of this popular dish. While the complex umami of fish sauce can be difficult to replicate, this combination of lime juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, miso and tamarind creates a comparable sauce that effectively delivers pad thai’s balance of sour, sweet and salty notes. The seasoning sauce keeps well, too, so it can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Soaking the noodles in boiling water softens them quickly, just enough to make them pliable enough to stir-fry without overcooking and breaking apart. The broccoli and snow peas, sugar snap peas or green beans can easily be replaced with whatever vegetables you have on hand. To make this dish vegan, simply omit the eggs.
By Hetty Lui McKinnon
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
12 ounces flat dried rice noodles (preferably pad thai noodles) Boiled water 3 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 to 2 limes) 3 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari 1 tablespoon tamarind paste or concentrate 2 teaspoons white (shiro) miso paste Vegetable oil or other neutral oil 1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced 1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets 7 to 8 ounces store-bought baked or extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch strips or triangles 1 cup snow peas, sugar snap peas or green beans, trimmed 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped Salt and pepper 4 eggs, well beaten 1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts 2 scallions, thinly sliced Roasted peanuts, for serving 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges, for servingPreparation
1. Place the noodles in a large bowl, cover with just-boiled water and soak for 10 minutes. Using tongs, give the noodles a stir to separate the strands. They will soften, turn white and become pliable. Drain.
2. While the noodles soak, make the seasoning sauce: Add the lime juice, maple syrup, soy sauce, tamarind and miso to a bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Heat a wok or large 12-inch skillet on medium-high for 2 minutes. When hot, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil, add the onion and toss until slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and toss until slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tofu, snow peas and garlic; season with salt, then gently toss for 1 minute.
4. Add the drained noodles, the sauce and 2 tablespoons of water; toss well until the noodles are well coated and have softened and absorbed the sauce, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste the noodles for doneness: If needed, add another 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and keep tossing until the noodles are soft enough to eat.
5. Push the noodles to one side, drizzle a little oil onto the surface of the pan, and pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble the eggs, stirring and scraping until cooked through and just set, 1 to 2 minutes, then stir them into the noodles.
6. Add the crushed red pepper, bean sprouts and scallions and toss until the scallions are just wilted, about 1 minute. Season generously with salt and pepper.
7. To serve, top with peanuts and serve with lime wedges.
2. Honey-Garlic Chicken
Honey garlic chicken. (Christopher Testani, The New York Times)These sweet and salty honey-garlic chicken breasts are perfect for when you want big flavor, but you’re short on time. To ensure golden-brown chicken breasts that stay plump and moist, start with a hot pan and pat the chicken dry to avoid adding extra moisture, then allow the chicken to sear properly. Once your chicken has taken on color, set it aside and create a simple pan sauce of honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and butter. When the sauce is glossy, return the chicken to the pan and turn it until coated in the satiny honey-garlic sauce. Serve with roasted potatoes, rice or bread to soak it all up.
By Yasmin Fahr
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, halved lengthwise, or 4 chicken cutlets (about 1 pound) Salt and black pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons apple cider, rice wine or white wine vinegar 3 to 4 large garlic cloves, minced or grated 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)Preparation
1. Pat the chicken dry. Season all over with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes until hot and shimmering. Add the chicken and cook without moving until it’s golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes.
3. Use tongs to flip the chicken and cook until just cooked through, about 4 minutes.
4. While the chicken cooks on the second side, mix together 3 tablespoons of water, the honey and soy sauce in a measuring cup.
5. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and set aside.
6. Pour in the soy sauce mixture and let cook until the liquid reduces, about 1 minute. Add the vinegar, garlic and butter, stirring to melt and incorporate until thick and glossy, about 2 minutes more.
7. Return the chicken to the pan, leaving behind any accumulated juices on the plate, and turn to coat in the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add the accumulated juices, then serve immediately, garnishing with the parsley, if desired.
3. Slow-Roasted Citrus Salmon With Herb Salad
Slow-roasted citrus salmon with herb salad. (Romulo Yanes, The New York Times)This is truly the best way to cook salmon. Slowly roasting an already fatty fish in an even more luxurious fat (here, olive oil) makes it nearly impossible to overcook. Plus, you can flavor that oil with whatever you fancy — spices, herbs, citrus, chiles — which, in turn, will flavor the fish. It’s a very simple method for cooking any large piece of fish (cod or halibut work well here, too). This makes it the ideal dinner party trick, sitting perfectly in the center of a Venn diagram in which “looks impressive” and “not a ton of work” overlap. It also doubles beautifully. Store any leftover salmon in the remaining oil, which will keep it from drying out, and use it to elevate a salad or a bagel with cream cheese.
By Alison Roman
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Total time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
1 (1 1/2-pound) piece skinless salmon fillet (or halibut or cod) Kosher salt and black pepper 2 lemons, Meyer or regular, thinly sliced, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 blood orange, mandarin orange or regular orange, thinly sliced 6 sprigs thyme, rosemary, oregano or marjoram (optional) 1 1/2 cups olive oil 2 cups herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, dill and tarragon, roughly picked from the stem Flaky sea salt, for servingPreparation
1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Season salmon with salt and pepper on both sides. Place in a large baking dish with sliced lemons, orange and thyme (or rosemary, oregano or marjoram), if using.
2. Drizzle everything with olive oil and bake until salmon is just turning opaque at the edges and is nearly cooked through, 25 to 35 minutes.
3. Toss fresh herbs with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and flaky salt. Serve alongside salmon.
4. Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta
Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. (David Malosh, The New York Times)Good cheese, good vegetables, good pasta. What more could you need? These quick creamy noodles rely on one thing: a stellar homemade Alfredo sauce. Butter, cream and cheese get you there, anchored by the musky aroma of nutmeg. Adding cauliflower to the boiling pasta in the last few minutes of cooking results in a lighter, glossier final sauce. Serve with an arugula salad, dressed simply with lemon juice, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, extra-virgin olive oil and more grated cheese.
By Eric Kim
Yield: 2 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
Salt and pepper 8 ounces dried short pasta, such as fusilli, rigatoni or cavatappi 1/2 small head cauliflower, florets and stems cut into bite-size pieces (about 3 cups/10 ounces) 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 small shallot, finely chopped 3/4 cup heavy cream 1 1/2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more to taste Freshly grated nutmeg Finely chopped chives or scallions, for topping Ricotta, lemon wedges or arugula, for serving (optional)Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. In the last 3 minutes of cooking, add the cauliflower. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and vegetables and return to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the cream, reduce the heat to low, then cook without boiling, stirring occasionally, until warmed through and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and 1 tablespoon of butter. Taste and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and more Parmigiano, as needed.
4. Scrape the sauce into the pot with the cooked pasta and cauliflower, splashing in some of the reserved pasta water as needed to thin out the sauce. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Over medium heat, toss until the sauce thickens slightly and clings to the pasta. Taste the pasta once more and season with salt, if it needs it.
5. Serve immediately with a generous sprinkling of chives. Optionally, you can also enjoy this creamy pasta with dollops of cool ricotta, a squeeze of fresh lemon or a handful of arugula on top.
5. Sheet-Pan Shrimp With Tomatoes, Feta and Oregano
Sheet-pan shrimp with tomatoes, feta and oregano. (David Malosh, The New York Times)Ready in 10 minutes, this Mark Bittman recipe from 2013 is a perfect weeknight recipe. It relies heavily on garlic, oregano and black pepper as a coating for the shrimp. Serve alongside a hearty salad or with a stack of flatbread for an easy meal. In his original piece, a roundup of shrimp recipes, he suggested wild shrimp from the Pacific or Gulf of Mexico, or fresh local shrimp from Maine or the Carolinas, if they’re available to you. All, he wrote, are “preferable from a sustainability perspective.”
By Mark Bittman
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
1 garlic clove 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tablespoons olive oil Black pepper 1 1/2 pounds peeled shrimp Chopped tomatoes, for serving Crumbled feta, for servingPreparation
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2. Mash garlic clove with salt until it forms a paste. Add chopped oregano, lemon juice, olive oil and lots of black pepper. Rub paste all over 1 1/2 pounds peeled shrimp.
3. Spread shrimp out on a pan and broil, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Served topped with chopped tomatoes and crumbled feta.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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