Pad Thai Salad

Here's something fun for a pot luck.  Pad Thai is a flavorful Thai rice noodle dish.  Since it's summer, I'm chill, and I'm chilling my Pad Thai into a cool summer salad.

Thai sweet chili sauce is a key ingredient to give spicy hot and a bit of sweet to the noodles.  Thai cooking often incorporates spicy heat with sweetness, along with the umami of fish sauce.  I serve this with peanut sauce on the side, because it really seems to be popular - and is indeed delicious.  But this dish really does not need the peanut sauce if you want to simplify an already somewhat complicated, but rewarding dish, that will surely meet with radical acceptance.
1 lb wide Thai rice noodles

Pad Thai Sauce:
1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp nam pal fish sauce
juice of 1/2 lime, about 2 Tbsp
1 Tbsp sesame oil

Peanut Dressing:
1 clove garlic
1/2-inch fresh ginger
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
juice of half a lime, about 2 Tbsp
1 Tbsp nam pal, Asian fish sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
about 2-3 Tbsp water as needed

3/4 lb chicken breast tenders, about 4-5

2 cups very small broccoli floweretts
handful fresh snow peas, cut in half on a diagonal

1 orange pepper, finely sliced
1/4 small red cabbage, finely sliced
5 oz baby arugula

1 small English cucumber, cut into matchsticks, seedy centers discarded
1/3 cup peanuts, slightly chopped
2 limes cut into eight wedges each
sprouts of choice

First get 6 cups water boiling in a large pot for the noodles. Set another medium pot with 4 cups water to the boil for the veggies. Finally set a third medium pot with 2 cups water to a boil for the chicken.

While the water comes to a boil, whip together the Pad Thai Sauce by whisking together the ingredients in a small bowl. Next, the peanut dressing. Place the garlic and ginger in a small food processor and mince well.

Then add the remaining peanut dressing ingredients and blend to a creamy consistency, adding water as needed just to achieve a nice flow of the dressing. It should not be gloppy, but should just pour off a spoon.

When the noodle water comes to a boil, add a few teaspoons salt and toss in the noodles. Stir well and remove from heat. The noodles just need to hydrate, but not really cook. Watch them over the next 10 minutes, and fluff gently with tongs as they soften. When they are only just al dente, drain. Fluff from time to time to avoid sticking.

Add the chicken to the 2 cups of water with a dash of salt and simmer for about 3-5 minutes, just until the tenders cook through. I use tenders instead of breasts so the cooking goes fast and the chicken does not toughen. Remove to a plate and allow to cool. When cool to the tough, shred with your fingers.

Now set a timer ready for 2 minutes. Add a dash of salt to the 4 cups of boiling water. Tip in the broccoli and snow peas and cook only for 2 minutes to blanche the veggies. Use the timer - be attentive; you don’t want to lose the wonderful crunch of those veggies!

Tip veggies into a strainer in the sink and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Allow to drain well.

Now assemble. Toss the noodles and the chicken in a large mixing bowl and fold in the Pad Thai Sauce. Add the blanched veggies along with the orange pepper and purple cabbage - Matisse would approve!

Line a very large, wide bowl with a bed of the arugula. Pile on the noodle mixture and spread about the bed. Top the noodles with chopped peanuts and arrange the cucumbers and limes around the perimeter of the dish. Garnish the center with sprouts, if desired.  Serve with peanut sauce on the side.

Serves 8-10.