Zucchini Chard Noodles with Capers Sun-dried Tomatoes and Chipotle

A quick weeknight meal that incorporates what the home garden has to offer at this time:  Asian noodles tossed in with sauteed garden veggies and flavorful no-cook sauce, served at room temperature with a light drizzling of freshly squeezed lemon juice and garnished with lemon zest.


Another tender home garden zucchini was ready to be picked.

Some lush home garden rainbow chard leaves were ready to be clipped and used as well.

A batch of home-garden cherry tomatoes were just about ripening.

Home garden Thai basil and Italian were both handy as well.

Plus some kale, bell peppers, onions, and garlic came together for this quick summer noodles with a fusion of flavors from MediterrAsian to Mexican.

No-cook Sauce: Thai basil, Italian basil, Capers, Sun-dried tomatoes, and chipotle in adobo sauce came together to make a thick fresh no-cook sauce. Simply combine the ingredients in a proportion that appeals to your taste, blend it to a smooth sauce-like paste, adding a touch of apple cider vinegar, some olive oil, and tamarind to taste.


Sauteed Veggies: Zucchini got spiralized, kale and chard got ribboned and they all got sauteed with onions, garlic, bell peppers, and tomatoes.

Kohlrabi Greens with Golden Kuri Coconut Cream Soup

I couldn't resist another giant bunch of Kohlrabi from the farm market for just under two dollars. The Kohlrabi greens along with some Golden Kuri squash from the farm went into a delicious coconut cream and coconut milk based mildly-spiced soup, with fresh lemon grass from my garden.

The variety of Winter squashes available these days is astounding. My favorites tend to be medium-sized thin-skinned with orange flesh and sweet flavor-- not too huge as that will make chopping and cleaning a problem. Not a big fan of spaghetti squash or too-mild acorn squash, I go for meaty Kabocha, Golden/Red Kuri, Butter/Amber cup, Golden Danish, Delicata and such, which can be eaten with the skin on. Who can keep track of these fancy names each variety gets? Butternut squash is an all-time favorite, although I do get some help cutting and peeling it.

This is a simple soup, using thick rich coconut cream and coconut milk and Thai flavors, perfect for Autumn. Served with thin rice noodles, Thai cucumber salad, and deep-fried spring rolls, it is a huge feast for a relaxing weekend.

But, for a weeknight, just the soup would do, in all its hearty glory.

Between the lemon grass in the garden and the citron leaves from the Myanmar store, Mingala International Market, I am addicted to Southeast Asian flavors.

Ingredients
3 cups chopped kohlrabi greens, stem and all
2 cups diced Golden Kuri squash, skin on
1 small Walla Walla sweet onion, diced
water or stock as needed
1 teaspoon coconut oil

For flavoring (pound in mortal+pestle):
some lemongrass leaves/stalk, chopped and ready for pounding
1 or 2 Thai green or red chilies
1 or 2 Kaffir lime leaves or citron leaves
3 cloves of garlic
2 Tablespoon grated ginger

Preparation:

1. Flavoring: Combine the ingredients in a mortal & pestle, and pound till thick paste comes together
2. Heat the coconut oil in a pot, add the onions, flavoring, saute till aromatic
3. Add the kohlrabi greens and kuri squash, stock, season with salt, cover and simmer till veggies are par-cooked 
4. Add the coconut milk and simmer till veggies are done, stir some coconut cream if preferred
5. Garnish with spring onions and cilantro and serve warm

Thai-flavored Pea Soup

Split pea soup is a simple favorite, especially for this cold weather. My preferred way to cook split pea soup  is in a pressure cooker.

Ingredients
½ cup green split peas
1 Tbsp grated ginger (or galangal)
1 tsp lemongrass powder
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable stock
1 Tbsp green curry paste
1 14 oz. can light coconut milk
salt to taste

Vegetables: red and green bell peppers, chopped finely; spring onions chopped finely for garnish

Preparation

1. Add all the ingredients except coconut milk, in a pressure cooker and cook till done
2. Meanwhile, saute the vegetables, and prepare the garnish
3. When pressure cooker is ready to be opened, mash the cooked split peas if needed
4. Stir in the coconut milk and heat up the soup gently; add the sauteed vegetables
5. Serve warm, topped with spring onions and croutons if preferred

Acorn Squash Thai Soup

Around this time of the year, I love the variety of Winter squashes in the market. Hubbard, Kabocha, Acorn, Butternut, Delicata, Sweet Dumpling... Not too long ago we had a good yield of Hubbard and Butternut squash from our garden. And as long as they were safe in the cold basement, they lasted for over 6 months.

Be it fragrant fried rice or roasted sides or hearty soups, pumpkins and squashes have been featuring prominently in the meals lately.

Acorn Squash Thai Soup is much like a simple Thai soup, except to boost the squash flavor, I roasted some acorn squash and pureed it and stirred it into the simmering soup.

Grind the soup base ingredients together and keep handy.

Soup base:
2 1-inch piece of dry galangal, reconstituted in water -OR- 2 Tbsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp lime peel, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 medium lemongrass stalk, crushed/pounded a bit -OR- 1 tsp lemongrass powder
2 Tbsp sambal oelek, if handy, else chopped Thai bird chilies or serrano or other chilies of your choice
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp Bragg liquid aminos
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp tamarind paste
2 citron leaves, if handy (instead of kaffir lime leaves)
½ tsp turmeric powder (optional)

Roast about a cup of chopped acorn squash in a 400°F oven for about 15 minutes till done; or pan-roast it with some oil in a cast iron skillet till done. Purée and keep handy.

For the soup:
Acorn squash chunks, as much as preferred from one medium acorn squash
1 to 2 cups light coconut milk
other veggies (optional): carrots, onions, snap peas
1 Tbsp peanut oil or sesame oil
1 cup vegetable stock


Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the soup base paste and sauté till aromatic, about 5 minutes on medium heat
2. Add the acorn squash and other veggies, stock, a pinch of salt and simmer till vegetable are cooked through but not mushy
3. Stir in the pureed roasted acorn squash and the coconut milk to desired taste and consistency; simmer gently till flavors meld - about 5 minutes
4. Garnish with chopped spring onions and cilantro

Beet Greens, Beets, Zucchini, Fingerling Potatoes Coconut Curry

The sheer array of vegetables in this Coconut Curry makes it one of my favorites: Beet greens, beets, home-garden round zucchini, fingerling potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, jalapeño, onions, ginger, galangal.

Home-garden round zucchini is yielding moderately. When I saw the first one ready to be harvested, I was all set to use it for stuffed squash recipe, but haven't gotten around to that yet. Meanwhile, the round zucchini gets featured in other recipes anyway.

This quick and easy curry can be flavored Thai style with red or green curry paste, or with Indian style Rohan Josh or Garam Masala paste.

Simmer the vegetables - making sure the vegetables that need the longest to cook go in first, then gradually adding in the other veggies so they are cooked to perfection and not mushy.

Stir in light coconut milk at the end and warm it up, don't let it boil.

Serve warm with brown rice and Sambal and garnished with some roasted peanuts and cilantro.

Thai Zucchini, Bell Pepper Soup

When I think of "Thai Soup", I usually think of the distinctive combination of spicy, salty, tangy, sweet flavors that come from certain ingredients extensively used in Thai cuisine, like galangal & lemongrass, sambal or nam prik pow for spiciness, tamarind for sourness, and a bit of brown sugar for sweetness. Many Thai soups use coconut milk to get the rich creamy texture. Depending on my "diet", I leave out the coconut milk.

This soup is much like my vegetarian Tom Yum Goong in that it is not quite traditional as I substitute some ingredients I have handy, rather than hunt for specific ingredients which provide the authentic taste. While I try to stock up on dried galangal, Kaffir Lime Leaves seem harder to come by - sure, it is available, but the frequency of use doesn't justify the expense in my budget, so, I tend to leave it out.

Tom Kha Gai, a wonderful Thai Chicken Soup, is a favorite at home. This soup recipe can be adjusted to make Tom Kha Gai as well - simply add chicken pieces, and coconut milk if preferred.

Ingredients
½ large home-garden zucchini, diced
carrots, cauliflower, celery, onions, bell peppers - diced (use as much as needed for the quantity of soup)
6 to 8 cups water or vegetable stock
1 Tbsp sesame or peanut oil

soup base:
1 (or 2) 1-inch piece of dry galangal, reconstituted in water
1 Tbsp lime peel, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 medium lemongrass stalk, crushed/pounded a bit -OR- 1 tbsp lemongrass powder
2 Tbsp sambal oelek, if handy, else chopped Thai bird chilies or serrano or other chilies of your choice
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp tamarind paste
½ tsp turmeric powder (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine the soup base ingredients and coarsely grind in a blender or crush it well in a mortal and pestle, keep handy
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add the soup base ingredients and onions, sauté till aromatic, add the veggies, stock/water, cover and allow to simmer till veggies are cooked through but not mushy
3. Taste and adjust flavors; if using coconut milk, stir it in at the end and simmer on medium-low gently for a few minutes
4. Garnish with spring onions and cilantro

Thai Cucumber Salad

Before my trip, D and I were trying to eat healthy by eating up the lettuce in our garden that got out of hand growing like weed and daring us to keep up the harvesting. So, I was looking for interesting ways to consume the bounty and this salad caught my attention in one of my Thai cook books (will add a link when available).

The idea is to marinate the cucumber, red onions, tomatoes and baby corn in a simple vinaigrette. This can be eaten as-is, which is typically the Thai cucumber salad recipe. However, to make it a meal, I added a few more veggies tossed together and served cool or at room temperature.

Of late, coconut vinegar has become one of my favorite ingredients and it is perfect in this dish. Also, if mirin is not handy, just use some favorite sweetening ingredient to balance the flavors.

Ingredients
Vinaigrette/marinade:
2 Tbsp coconut vinegar
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp peanut oil or sesame oil

½ large cucumber sliced thinly
½ large red/purple onion, sliced thinly
1 medium tomato sliced or cut into wedges
1 red or green pepper, seeded and sliced thinly
8-10 baby corn, sliced
some toasted sesame seeds or, coarsely broken roasted peanuts
fresh crisp lettuce to form the bed for the salad
some cauliflower, broccoli; and pickled asparagus (optional) if handy, cut into bite-size pieces

Preparation

1. Combine the vinaigrette ingredients, pour over the veggies and toss lightly; allow to sit for about 30 mins
2. Heat a tiny bit of sesame oil in a wok, sauté the cauliflower, broccoli and asparagus with some soy sauce and coconut vinegar; remove from wok and allow to cool
3. Prepare a bed of fresh crisp lettuce, pile the marinated veggies and the sautéed and cooled veggies, top with toasted sesame seeds or crushed roasted peanuts

Tom Yum Goong (Vegetarian)

Soups are the easiest to make and heartiest to enjoy, don't you think? I make several quick Asian soups that are just my version, suited to D's and my tastes, like hot and sour, sweet and sour, and some Thai soups as the one here - nothing spectacular, just tasty and filling.

As with most of my recipes, this is just my version of Tom Yum Goong, not entirely authentic. As I am a bit too lazy and impulsive to hunt for all the authentic ingredients and follow a traditional recipe, I usually end up making suitable substitutions and adjusting it to my tastes - I am not fond of fish paste or shrimp paste, so, I usually leave it out in my Asian recipes.

If fresh lemongrass stalks are not handy, I usually substitute with lemongrass powder, which I always try to have in my stash of spice powders. If using fresh lemongrass, pound or coarsely grind the bottom part of it, and boil the top part in the soup for added flavor. Dried galanga is nice to have, just reconstitute in water; but, mostly I substitute regular ginger as it is more readily available.

Depending on my mood, I vary the balance of the various spices in this recipe, so this version here is just a suggestion... flavors can easily be adjusted to taste while cooking.

This is yet another dish that is low-carb and low-fat that fits in with D's new diet plan, and mine, of course... I try to make it less spicy first and reserve some of the soup for Ana, then adjust flavors to my preference. I stir in a bit of cooked rice into Ana's soup so she gets more carbs and I also toss in some peanuts for proteins and fats as she needs it at her tender 2¾ age :)
[No, I am not really a nutritionist, nor do I want to pretend to be one, but, I like to stay informed and make sure we know what we ingest on a regular basis].

Ingredients
for the soup base:
1 Tbsp lemongrass powder OR 2 large stalks of fresh lemon grass
2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
¼ medium onion, diced (or equivalent shallots, if handy)
2-4 serrano chilies (or any kind whose heat you prefer and can enjoy)
1 tsp tamarind paste (or 2 Tbsp lemon juice)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
3-4 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp Nam Prik Pow paste (optional)
1 Tbsp soybean oil or canola oil

vegetables: bell peppers, mushroom, cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, potatoes
½ pkg firm Tofu, cubed
4-6 cups of vegetable stock (or equivalent bullion cubes and water)
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup light coconut milk (optional)

garnish: spring onions and coriander

Preparation

1. combine the soup base ingredients and grind to a fine paste
2. heat the canola oil in a pan, add the soup base and sauté a bit till aromatic and rawness fades
3. add the stock, tofu and vegetables, cover and cook till vegetables are cooked but not mushy
4. stir in the coconut milk, if using, and simmer for a few minutes
5. taste and adjust flavors - add more chili paste if too bland, or more tamarind paste if not tangy enough
6. garnish as desired and serve hot

Vegetarian Thai Red Curry

I make Thai curries often and realized I hadn't posted my recipe for red curry in over 200 recipes I have managed to jot down here so far, even though I have posted the green curry recipe. So, here it is...

Now, as I am not fond of shrimp paste or fish paste, I try to make my own Thai curry pastes. There are a few brands of ready-made Thai curry pastes that leave out the shrimp paste and fish paste (or at least do not list them in the ingredients list on the label), but, rather than hunt for them, I use this adapted version at home, making this Thai red curry a vegetarian dish to my liking.

I had a few Neon eggplants and a bunch of Thai dragon chilies from the home garden that need to be used up, the weather is getting chilly and the plants are not going to survive for long in our garden... feel free to use bird's eye chilies, or Serrano, or even milder chilies to suit your taste. Any favorite vegetable combination would work for this red curry.

Ingredients
1 5" long Neon or Ichiban eggplant, cut into chunks on a bias
1 medium carrot cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium potato cut into chunks
2 cups chopped kale
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium broccoli stalk, chopped (not florets)
spring onions and cilantro for garnish
1 can light coconut milk
2 Tbsp canola oil
salt to taste


for the red curry paste:
8-10 red Thai dragon chilies
4 cloves of garlic
4-6 dry red chilies
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
3 Tbsp chopped galangal* (or ginger)
3 shallots, finely chopped, or one small red onion
2 Tbsp lemon zest (or kaffir lime leaves if handy)
½ cup chopped cilantro stems**
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp canola oil
4 Tbsp finely chopped lemongrass (I use just the bottom 4-inches or so of the stalk)
water as needed

* I buy the dried packaged galangal, and reconstitute in water before using
** I usually use the leaves for garnish, and save the stems for chutneys and curry pastes :-)

Preparation

1. Red Curry paste:Combine the ingredients above in a blender or food processor and blend to a smooth fine paste; adjust amount of chilies to your taste
2. Curry:
   • Heat the oil in a pan, add the red curry paste and sauté till aromatic, till it turns darker and flavorful - about 8 minutes on medium heat;
   • add the chopped vegetables, enough water to submerge the vegetables, add a pinch of salt, cover and cook till vegetables are cooked but not mushy;
   • add the coconut milk, simmer for a few more minutes; garnish with chopped spring onions and cilantro
   • 
     
3. Serve with warm jasmine rice, some crushed peanuts and sambal oelek or other sambals on the side

Chicken Satay

For small batches, just for the family, I prefer to broil in the oven, especially if am making Chicken Satay in winter. Grill gets used more in summer when it is not bitterly cold to be outdoors, and it is superbly hot to be indoors with the oven on.

Broiling time varies depending on the thickness of the strips and the oven. I typically start off with 5 minutes keeping a close watch because if the bamboo skewers get dry and hot they do tend to catch fire in the oven.

1. Marinate some boneless skinless chicken breast tenders for 30 minutes, even upto overnight in the fridge. 
2. Soak some bamboo skewers in water. 
3. Cut the chicken breast tenders into uniformly thin strips.  
4. Carefully threaded the chicken strips in the wet bamboo skewers. 
5. Grill, or Broil, turning the skewers as needed, and cook till chicken is done.

Serve with the Peanut Sauce/Dressing.

Marinade ingredients:
4 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp Agave nectar OR 1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp tamarind juice or lime juice
2-3 garlic cloves crushed finely
1 Tbsp dry red chili flakes
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp grated ginger

As always, adjust the marinade ingredients to suit your taste. I simply throw things together depending on my mood, so, the measurements above are approximate at best:-)

Some grilled or roasted vegetables and pineapple slices would make this a wonderful summer evening meal.

pad kee mao (vegetarian drunken noodles)

Until recently, quite surprisingly, I hadn't come across the reference "Drunken Noodles" or "Drunkard's Noodles" for this dish. It was brought to my attention by my sole recipe requester (hey girl, you know who you are) and so, here is my vegetarian version of the recipe sometimes known as Pad Kee Mao.

Ingredients
1 pkt flat wide rice noodles : the Vietnamese style dry noodles sticks i usually get - BÁNH PHÓ - just needs to soak in hot water for a bit and is ready to use
sugar snaps, bean sprouts, tofu (marinated in soy sauce, if preferred), spring onions, napa cabbage, onions, bell peppers, garlic, thai chilies or serranos, all chopped to desired size
on the side: cucumber, tomatoes, lime, and cilantro for garnish

for the sauce:
tamarind concentrate
peanut butter
brown sugar
sambal oelek
nam prik pow (optional)
chili basil paste



Preparation

1. cook the noodles per package directions, drain, rinse well, toss with some oil, set aside
2. combine the sauce ingredients, stir well set aside - the exact amounts of each ingredient is left to individual taste - nam prik pow/chili-basil paste and sambal oelek bring in the heat, brown sugar and peanut butter bring in a mild sweetness, and tamarind concentrate adds the sour touch; balance these ingredients to taste - my blend usually has pronounced heat, slight sweetness, and discernible sourness
3. stir fry the vegetables till crisp-tender, add the sauce a little at a time, add the noodles, stir till sauce is well incorporated
4. off heat, garnish with cilantro and spring onions
   
5. i like to slice some cucumber and tomatoes and serve on the side as this is usually quite a fiery hot dish; add some lime wedges if extra tartness is preferred
   

Thai Green Curry

Thai curries usually turn out delicious even if I leave out fish paste and shrimp paste and such from my recipes. I have managed to find dried galangal and kaffir lime leaves on and off, but, even if i don't have them handy, this green curry recipe turns out quite to my liking.

Ingredients
Vegetables of choice, cut into chunks
½ pkt extra firm tofu, cubed
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 14oz can coconut milk
salt to taste
2 Tbsp lime juice

for garnish:
spring onions chopped
cilantro chopped


green curry paste:
1 cup chopped cilantro
3-4 serranos or jalapenos, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped galangal or fresh ginger
5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 medium shallots, chopped
¼ cup finely chopped lemongrass
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1-2 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
1 tsp lime zest (optional)
½ tsp turmeric powder

Preparation:

1. combine the curry paste ingredients in a blender or food processor and grind to a fine paste
2. heat oil in a pan, add the green curry paste and sauté over medium heat till oil separates and the paste is aromatic and darker green
3. add the tofu, vegetables, some salt and sauté a bit; add a little water, cover and let the vegetables cook till done, not mushy
4. add the coconut milk, brown sugar, adjust salt to taste and simmer till flavors meld and the curry feels rich; add water to make the curry thin, if desired
   
5. off heat, stir in lime juice, garnish with cilantro and spring onions; serve warm with jasmine rice, or basmati rice
   

Rice Noodles

Other than pasta, casseroles, soups, and rice, Asian-style noodles seem the easiest to throw together on weekdays when I don't have fermented adai or dosai or injera batter handy.

Not much to this recipe really. Feels like sharing a recipe for cooking rice :) Anyway, I like both the wide flat rice noodles a well as the thin string-like ones. The noodles can be stir-fried or just tossed in with the sautéed vegetables here.

Ingredients
1 pkt rice noodles (flat and broad, sort of like fettucini)

½ pkt extra firm tofu (or, pan-fried marinated tofu, if handy)
1 cup sugar snaps, sliced thin
2 cups bok choy leaves, cleaned, chiffonade (or roughly chopped)
1 medium onion, sliced fine
1 bell pepper, sliced
-OR- any other vegetable combination
water as needed
1 Tbsp canola oil (2-3 Tbsp, if pan frying the tofu)


For the flavoring:
2 Tbsp tamarind concentrate
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp thai chili-basil paste
1 Tbsp sambal oelek (or, 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes)
1 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh lemon grass (or, 1 tsp lemongrass powder)
1 tsp grated ginger (or, ½ tsp ginger powder)
1 tsp brown sugar

½ cup chopped spring onions for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

1. Combine the flavoring ingredients, stir well and set aside
2. If using tofu, pan-fry it with some of the above flavoring sauce, remove from pan set aside
   
3. cook rice noodles per package directions, drain, rinse in cold water, drain well and set aside
4. Heat oil in a pan, sauté the onions, sugar snaps and bok choy till onions turn translucent
5. Add the cooked noodles, pan-fried tofu, and the remaining flavoring sauce a little at a time so as not to make the dish soggy, stir till well incorporated
6. Garnish with spring onions, serve warm

Thai-inspired Yam Curry

I think Yam is sometimes confused with Sweet Potato here - at least at the grocery store, the yam they sell tastes just like sweet potato.

The yam I remember from my younger days in India was a lot different - more roundish (not elongated), yellowish inside (not orange), neutral flavored (not sweet), with tough brown skin (not thin pinkish skin).

In any case, this yam recipe is inspired by thai flavors.

Ingredients
1 yam, cut into chunks
1 bunch spring onions, cut into 4" long pieces
1 bunch baby bok choy, cleaned, roughly chopped
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste
for sauce:
2-3 Tbsp tamarind concentrate or, fresh tamarind
1 medium shallot
1/2 stalk lemon grass
4-6 fresh chilies (i used red balloon chilies from my garden)
2" piece of ginger
1 Tbsp brown sugar (optional if yam is sweet)

Preparation:

1. if using fresh tamarind, shell it, soak it in hot water and extract pulp (remove the seeds) to get approximately 8 Tbsp; combine the sauce ingredients and blend it to a smooth paste
2. heat oil in a pan, add the yam chunks, some salt, some water and cook till half-done
3. then add the sauce, bok choy and some more water, cover and cook till yam is cooked through but not mushy
4. add the spring onions, stir well, adjust salt to taste and cook for a few minutes till spring onions soften
5. serve warm with steamed rice
   

Pad Thai

This is a dish I love, but, since i don't eat shrimp or oyster sauce or fish sauce or any of the 'traditional' ingredients, I had to sort of make up my own version of this dish, which turns out much to my liking usually:-)

I like the tanginess from the tamarind, but, experiment with this - start with a little of each ingredient - and blend the flavors till you find that the sauce is to your liking.



Ingredients
For Sauce
3-4 Tbsp tamarind concentrate (sold in most asian stores: plastic can with blue lid)
2 Tbsp sushi vinegar
1 tsp mirin (optional)
1-2 tsp brown sugar
2-3 Tbsp vegetarian soy sauce (adjust to taste)
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp red chili paste (add more or less, to taste)

For the noodles
1 pkg rice noodles (pad-thai-style noodles sold in asian grocery stores)
4-5 sliced green chilies
2 medium carrots julienned
2 cups shredded napa cabbage
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 medium onion sliced thin
2 inch piece of ginger, julienned
1/2 pkg extra firm tofu, cut to desired size cubes
10-12 petit green beans - optional (sold in frozen foods section, thaw before using)
1 egg (optional)
1/2 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped, or pounded in mortar and pestle
2-3 Tbsp canola oil (or sesame oil)

Preparation

1. Mix all the ingredients for sauce, taste it and adjust as you like and set aside (i like it to have pronounced and identifiable tanginess, mild sweetness and adequate saltiness - adjust tamarind concentrate, brown sugar and soy sauce accordingly)
   
2. cook the pad thai noodles per package instructions; drain and set aside
   
3. heat oil in a pan or wok; add the tofu and sautee till browned
4. remove tofu from pan; then, add the ginger, green chilies and sautee for about 30-40 seconds, then add the onions and sautee till translucent
   
5. add the carrots and green beans to the pan and stir fry till slightly softened
6. add the napa cabbage and stir fry some more
7. if using the egg, push the veggies to the side in the pan, add the egg and scramble it in the pan
8. now add the drained noodles, bean sprouts, tofu, and the sauce a little at a time to avoid ending up with a soggy dish; stir till well incorporated
   
9. garnish with chopped peanuts, cilantro and sliced green chilies; serve warm with sambal oelek on the side (optional)
   

this usually makes enough for 2 people for dinner, plus leftovers for next day's breakfast :-)