My take (and first attempt) of Pad Thai

When it comes to homemade Asian cuisine, I am limited. I am notorious for stocking up on frozen stir-fry veggies and whipping them out and tossing in chicken or fajita meat and call it a meal. That's the extent of my Asian recipes. On the other side, I love eating out and getting sushi or Pei Wei or anything technical that I don't have to make myself.

So I got a serious craving and curiosity for Pad Thai. I've had it oh, maybe, twice in my life. But you know, what could be so hard? I got a handy wok as a wedding gift and that automatically makes me capable of cooking rice noodles and everything else that goes with it, right?

Okay so here is the recipe ("Easy Pad Thai with Chicken") I followed and attempted.

I am by no means capable of explaining this cuisine but let me tell you, shopping for it was interesting. Here's my tip from it all, buy tamarind paste  not just wet tamarind like I did. I think the paste may give it more flavor and just more user friendly, but then again, I haven't tried that one yet. 

So about the rice noodles, make sure they are cooked. I have a noodle problem and not thoroughly cooking them through. 

Here's my final plate. Along with the sauce, noodles and chicken I added cilantro, scallions and shredded carrots. I did not add the red cabbage just because my grocery store didn't have any that was in good shape. 

One final note: I am not the expert of this recipe. I only wanted to share my finding and my final project and the mess in between. Please go here for the creator's advice. 

PS: Make enough for leftovers.... this was more amazing the SECOND time around. 

What's your experience with this dish? Any do's and don'ts to share? 

Enjoy!