Beef Pad Thai
I’ve always been a big fan of Thai food. Chinese, Japanese, Korean… if there’s a wok, noodles, rice and some sort of protein, I’m all in. As a matter of fact, every time I make rice as a side dish, I always make extra so I can make fried rice later in the week. But while I love Thai food, I rarely get to enjoy it. See, Thai food usually uses peanut oil, peanut butter or roasted peanuts in its preparation. Since Hubs is allergic, that means no Thai food… unless I’m out with friends or on my own.
So, when Jessica Formicola of Savory Experiments showed us how to make her Beef Pad Thai, I just had to have it. It looked amazing and using beef instead of chicken was genius! It may seem like an odd choice, but Formicola recently released her new cookbook, Beef It Up! which is a cookbook devoted to all things sirloin. That means no poultry or fish anywhere in its pages. It’s all beef, and I am here for it! There are recipes for everything from soups and salads to sandwiches and main courses including this Beef Pad Thai, and they all look amazing! I really wanted that Pad Thai, so I had to figure out how to make it so the whole family could enjoy it.
Luckily, Melissa’s Produce sent me the book, and invited me to a zoom with Formicola where she showed us how to make it. It was during this demo that I asked the infamous nut question. Since Hubs can’t eat nuts, I try to make meals without them. If the recipe calls for nuts though, I try to replace them with sunflower seeds or tahini, anything that will provide that nutty flavor and crunch without the anaphylactic shock. So, since I really wanted to make Formicola’s Pad Thai, I asked her what I should replace the peanuts with. Originally she recommended just dropping the peanut butter and using more soy sauce. But then I remembered the Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies I made and asked if tahini could be used instead. She agreed whole heartedly.
Tahini is a thick sesame paste that’s often used to make hummus. But the best thing about it, is its nutty flavor. The tahini not only added a great consistency to the Pad Thai sauce, it added that classic nutty flavor Pad Thai has. And best of all, the whole family, including my nut allergy husband, could not get enough. It was a delicious spin on a classic entrée and I can’t wait to make it again.
Notes
Adapted from Beef It Up!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1-1/2 pounds top sirloin, cut against the grain into 2-inch pieces
- 1 (14-ounce) package stir-fry rice noodles
- 3 teaspoons vegetable oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 3-4 scallions, white parts only, chopped
Instructions
- Whisk together the first 7 ingredients, through the lime juice, until smooth and set aside.
- Season the steak with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Cook the noodles according to package directions until al dente (you'll finish cooking them in the wok with the meat). Set aside.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add beef and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer beef to a plate, and wipe out skillet.
- Add the remaining oil to the same skillet over medium heat. Add peas, carrots and peppers and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Push vegetables to the side, add egg and scramble until cooked. Mix with the veggies. Return the beef to the skillet and pour the sauce over the top. Add the noodles and toss all together until coated and heated through.
- Divide the Pad Thai among four bowls. Top with cilantro and chopped scallions and serve with lime wedges.
