A recent trip to the Asian grocery store and food court with friends - hey, don't knock it … it's a great hangout for foodies - meant I was coming home with grocery bags brimming with sauces, noodles, vegetables, and more. So of course I wanted to have noodle dishes morning, noon, and night. Okay … I usually start my day with yogurt, fruit, and granola … but the noon and night part is accurate! And this creamy, spicy pad thai was a particularly popular dinner offering so I thought I'd share it with you.
This dish is incredibly versatile. While I highly recommend softening the noodles by soaking them in boiling water, you could cook them in a pot of boiling water. Instead of the king oyster mushrooms, you could use scallops, but I'm delighted by how similar the texture of the bits of mushroom is to actual scallops … and they cost so much less! You can tweak the vegetables in this pad thai. I had gotten the baby bok choy at the Asian market and the sweet bell pepper (I used orange) helps offset the spiciness in this dish. I love shrimp, but you could use a different protein (chicken, pork, or tofu will all work) or you can add more veggies and skip adding a protein for a lighter dish. I like the flavor boost that both freshly grated ginger and chili crisp bring to the table, but you can omit them if you'd like. Keep the curry paste and coconut milk because they make a quick and easy sauce for the whole dish.
I think of this as a dish that is the meal. Spoon into bowls and enjoy with a cold beverage … ice tea or even Thai iced tea, perhaps? Enjoy!
Very Veggie Shrimp & Mushroom Pad Thai
- 1 bundle (about 6 oz.) rice pad thai noodles
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 king oyster mushrooms, sliced into scallop-sized rounds
- 2-3 baby bok choy, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 8 oz. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon chili crisp
- 1 tablespoon thai red curry paste
- ¾ cup coconut milk
Place the noodles in a large, heatproof vessel. Add enough boiling water to cover the noodles fully and place a plate or lid over the bowl.
While the noodles soak, heat the sesame oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced king oyster mushrooms and sauté until they are golden on the outside and tender on the inside. Add the chopped bok choy and bell pepper and sauté until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add the shrimp, ginger, and chili crisp and stir-fry until the shrimp is pink throughout.
Add the drained noodles, curry paste, and coconut milk and toss well to coat everything in the pan fully and evenly. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
- Yields: 3-4 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes