Pad Thai Sauce
A good Pad Thai sauce is described as being sweet first, the spicy, salty and finally sour. The development of this flavor on your tongue is probably what has helped to make it one of Thailand most popular dishes. Don’t worry if the sauce tastes too strong after it comes out of the blender, it will be diluted while cooking.
As I’ve said before, sauces are easy to buy pre-made but I prefer to make my own to avoid icky fillers and preservatives. All you need is the right ingredients and a good blender! I really cannot stress the importance of a good blender.
Makes: 1 1/4 cups
Preparation time:
Total Time:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock
- 7 dates (pitted)
- 2 dried apricots (often dried in halves so use 4 halves)
- 2 dried prunes
- 2 tablespoons peanuts
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons umeboshi paste
- 1 tablespoon organic tamari (you can use soy sauce if not making this gluten free)
- 1 teaspoon double concentrated tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
Equipment: blender
Instructions:
- Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend on high until smooth. If you don't have a high powered blender you may end up with a chunkier sauce. Try letting the ingredients rest a bit so the solid parts can soak up some more liquid then blend again. You can also try adding a little water to help the blender along, the water will cook off when you use this to make Pad Thai. Start by adding 1 teaspoon of water at a time.
Special Diet: Dairy Free, Engine 2, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Course: Sauce & Dip
Culture: Thai
Special Equipment: Blender
Written by Anne Beaubien