Pad Thai & Basil Limeade

I really couldn’t take it any longer. Sometimes I get those cravings for Pad Thai at my favorite local place, and after my last episode I figured it was about time for me just to try cooking it myself. I consulted my long list of blogs in search for a good recipe. I found this one on NY Times. I will for sure being using it again, although I now know what to do next time to make it better (like allowing the sauce to cook longer to make it more sticky, instead of liquid). I thought it would be hard to make with restaurant results. While it’s not quite there, it was still damn good!

I couldn’t find tamarind paste at my grocery (or even at the health food stores!). I thought I could nix it, but NO…this is an integral part of Pad Thai. So I searched for other options and found that using molasses (or brown sugar) and lime juice can make up for that sweet/sour taste. So I used 1 TBS molasses and the juice from one lime and added it to the sauce, and I think it worked out great. I might buy the paste online if I make more Pad Thai. The dish actually tasted better the next day.

This weekend my friend and I had some Basil Limeade at a festival and we were totally diggin’ it. Then I remembered I had a ton of basil in my garden, and I had an idea. So I found this recipe and made it. It’s pretty awesome. The directions for the recipe are good, but how to mix it wasn’t too clear. I used the juice of 5 limes. I used one part lime juice, 1 part basil syrup, and 5 parts water. I think it could have used a little more sugar (maybe adding to the lime juice the next day), and I will probably use more basil syrup next time I mix it too. This drink and pad thai go so great together.