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72
WBM february 2013
PAD KEE MAO from Thai Spice
the rice version of the
drunken noodle.
O’Connor, who took over
the Thai Spice location with
his mother Goy two years
ago, keeping the name, says
the main aromatic ingredi-ent
for his drunken noodle
is the Asian basil, which has
a distinctly different taste
and smell than any other
type of basil. In addition to
a heavy dose of Asian basil,
tomatoes, onions, and red
Pad Thai sauce, the other
base of the dish, is a delicate
balance of ingredients, Big
says. He mixes tamarind
paste, white vinegar, soy
sauce, paprika, sugar and
salt, the exact measurements
of which he prefers to keep
to himself.
Originally from Bangkok,
Big says the main ingredients
that make up traditional Pad
Thai center around read-ily
available vegetables and
herbs found in Thailand,
like bean sprouts, scallions,
cilantro and carrots.
Unlike many Western
dishes, Thai cuisine utilizes
small amounts of meat. Big
says tofu and small dried
shrimp are the traditional
combination in Thailand.
In his restaurant, shrimp are
Big’s favorite protein because
they cook in the same
amount of time it takes to
stir-fry the noodles.
For Big, Pad Thai is a
way to introduce Thai food
and many other Thai favor-ites
like the drunken noodle,
or Pad Kee Mao. While
the principle of balancing
opposite tastes remains,
drunken noodles are wider
and naturally spicier than
Pad Thai noodles.
“If there is one dish
that is the most common
in Thailand, like the Thai
equivalent of a BLT or
cheeseburger,” says Larry
O’Connor of Thai Spice,
“it would be Pad Kee Pao,”