Friday, September 21, 2012

Quick and Easy Pad Thai Rice Noodle Suggestions for One

Annie Chun's Pad Thai Noodles, 8-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6)
I was in a situation yesterday, once again, about needing a quick meal I hadn't planned for. Life's been like that for a few weeks now, with things going on in the family and a recent hand injury. Until my hand heals, driving and shopping are out of the question.

Since I went through all of my frozen emergency supplies last week, I had to come up with something clever for yesterday. Ordering out Chinese or Italian would be the easy thing, but also the more expensive.

So, I settled on my stash of Pad Thai rice noodles and organic vegetable stock. I cooked up an ounce of the noodles, heated up a cup of vegetable stock and a small can of cooked, drained black beans, poured the stock and beans over the noodles, and added a generous dose of Parmesan cheese and chopped scallions, and a pinch of salt and pepper. The resulting dish was filling and also healthy. I followed it up with two clementine oranges fresh from South America which my daughter had brought me the day before.

The Pad Thai noodles I buy come in an 8-ounce package, and they are the flatter noodles that look like
fettuccine when you cook them. One or two ounces of the dry noodles make a satisfying serving for one person at 100 calories per ounce.

Since I discovered Pad Thai noodles about six months ago, they've become a staple in my cooking-for-one pantry. They are beautiful to look at and silky on the tongue. Their texture is not exactly like wheat pasta, but they are satisfyingly "pasty", meaning that they comfort while they stick to your ribs. Here are a few more quick and easy serving ideas:

  • Add traditional tomato sauce and grated cheese - instant spaghetti!
  • Top with homemade chili and a dollop of sour cream.
  • Use as a bed for steamed vegetables with a pour of olive oil and lots of fresh, chopped garlic and herbs.

Tips:

  • Before cooking the noodles, break them into pieces so that they don't become one massive, tangled mound. 
  • Store unused, dry noodles in an airtight container for another day.


Give these rice noodles a try. They are delicious and versatile!

4 comments:

  1. Yum! I really like those noodles. My friend from Vietnam makes me Pad Thai salad sometimes. It's great! I need to remember to buy these more often. Are they usually in the regular grocery stores?

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    1. Pad Thai rice noodles are sometimes hard to find, which is why I put a link here to Amazon. My major local grocery chain is Giant Supermarkets. Sometimes they have them, sometimes they don't. When they do, I buy all the packages they have.

      On a recent trip there, a woman behind me in the checkout line asked about the six packages I had ready to check out and said she'd like to try them. I told her there were none left on the shelf (I'd absconded with them all), but gave her two of mine. I think she's going to be a repeat customer. :)

      Can you share your friend's recipe for Pad Thai salad? I'd love to try it!

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  2. Huh! This actually looks really delicious. I am used to black beans and rise with various Mexican spices, but to try it with Pad Thai noodles sounds awesome. I'll have to try that. :)

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    1. I know what you mean, Cyndi. We don't think that much about beans and noodles together. I think you'll like it!

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