Nostalgic Pad Macaroni

I’m no chef, but while mom was away, I did my best to feed my dad. I searched through YouTube and the internet for meal ideas to make for him. With everything he’s going through with his health, his appetite isn’t great. He eats, but doesn’t really enjoy food like he used to. I stumbled upon a vlog from Hot Thai Kitchen, hosted by Pailin “Pai” Chongchitnant, where she shared a recipe for Pad Macaroni. My mom used to make this for me when I was little. I’m not entirely sure about the origins of the dish, but I’ve heard it’s a Thai take on what Western-style pasta is supposed to be like. I assume the tomato ketchup is meant to mimic tomato sauce.

Like most Thai households, I just happened to have all the ingredients on hand. This recipe is usually made with elbow pasta, but I had rotini, so that’s what I used. It’s a super simple recipe, and if you have kids, they’ll definitely love it. The recipe calls for shrimp, but you can easily swap it out for chicken or any other protein. My mom used to make it with chicken when I was a kid. I did add some Chinese broccoli to the dish as well. The recipe is pretty versatile so zhuzh it up as you like.

My dad said it was a bit too sweet for him, but he’s got some taste sensitivities at the moment. I thought it was pretty good, though. Lol!

Pad Macaroni

Thai interpretation of what western style pasta is.

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Servings: 3

Author: Pailin “Pai” Chongchitnant

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp of ketchup
• 2 tbsp of Sriracha or hot sauce
• 2 tbsp of Golden Mountain sauce (Maggi or soy sauce)
• 1/2 tsp of sugar
• 1/4 tsp of white pepper
• 1/2 lb of pasta
• 15 medium sized shrimps
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 5-6 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1 cup of bite sized carrots
• 1/2 an onion, halved and julienned
• 3 eggs
• 1 large tomato cut into wedges
• 2 green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces

Instructions

• Heat a pot of water for cooking the pasta over high heat.
• Mix together ketchup, Sriracha, Golden Mountain sauce, sugar and white pepper while you wait for the water to boil. Mix well. Prep all other ingredients.
• When all your ingredients are ready, add the pasta into the boiling water. Cook the pasta per the instructions on the box.
• Add a little vegetable oil to a wok or pan and coat the bottom. Heat over medium high heat. Add shrimp and cook on both sides until done. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Let the pan cool down a little bit. Add a little more vegetable oil, butter, and garlic and turn the heat back on to medium. Saute the garlic until the butter browns slightly. Add onions and carrots – stirring constantly for 1 minute or longer if you like them softer.
• Set the carrots and onions to one side of the pan, then add the eggs to the empty space. Break the yolk and stir the yolks to mix with the whites. Let the eggs set about 70%, then toss it with the carrots and onions.
• Once the pasta is done – drain, making sure there's no to very little water in the pasta. Add pasta and the sauce to the wok, turning the heat back on to medium high and toss until the pasta is coated.
• Add tomatoes and green onions. Toss to heat the tomatoes and soften them slightly. Remove from heat and serve immediately.