Wild Mushroom Pad Thai with Shaoxing-Soy Chicken & Shrimp

Cosmically speaking, a dish invented in the 1930s is not classic. Because of that, you can be a bit more modern with your process. I wanted to pay homage to Pad Thai's Chinese roots while applying Thai ingredients, as opposed to using more traditional Thai methods.

Ingredients

Pad Thai

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup Shaoxing cooking wine (substitute: dry sherry)

1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari

1/2 lb dried pad Thai rice noodles

1/4 cup nam pla (Thai fish sauce)

2 tbsp palm sugar

1 tbsp tamarind paste

1 tbsp sambal oelek

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 small shallots, thinly sliced

8 oz mixed wild mushrooms, stems removed and sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 cup julienned carrots

4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces, plus more thinly sliced, for garnish

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup bean sprouts

Lime wedges, for serving

Preparation

1. Place the chicken thighs and shrimp in a large resealable bag. Pour in the Shaoxing wine and soy sauce, seal, and massage the bag to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Place the noodles in a large bowl and cover with very hot water. Soak until just pliable, about 15 minutes (or per package directions). Drain in a colander, shaking off any excess water. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, whisk together the fish sauce, palm sugar, tamarind paste, and sambal oelek in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

4. Heat the sesame oil in a large wok or nonstick skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add the shallots and mushrooms in a single layer and cook, without stirring for the first 2 minutes, until deeply browned, about 5 minutes total. Add the garlic and carrots and stir-fry until just softened, about 2 minutes. Add the noodles and the scallion pieces and stir-fry until heated through, about 2 minutes.

5. Push the noodles to one side of the wok and add the eggs to the empty side. Cook, stirring, until just barely set, about 30 seconds. Fold everything together. Add the sauce and toss over high heat until the noodles are evenly coated and the sauce has reduced slightly and clings to the noodles, 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and fold in the bean sprouts.

6. Heat a thin film of neutral oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken and shrimp from the marinade, letting any excess drip off — reserve the marinade. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook, spooning the reserved marinade over the top as it caramelizes in the pan, until cooked through to 165°F, about 5–7 minutes. Add the shrimp in the final 2 minutes and cook until pink and just curled. Transfer to a cutting board. Slice the chicken against the grain and arrange over the pad Thai noodles with the shrimp. Garnish with the sliced scallions and serve immediately with lime wedges.

Notes

Inspired by Food & Wine.