My Father/Recipe for Pad Thai

This is a picture of my Dad after his knee replacement surgery. When I came into to see him he said he was feeling pretty good and he wasn't feeling any pain. I imagine the spinal block and the pain meds they are giving him are keeping him pretty stable. He has been having issues with his knees for a couple of years now and it was time to replace the knee. The doctor said the xray's really didn't show the degeneration in the knee and it was a lot worse.

I love the first picture where he is smiling. I love my father and I think he is a wonderful man. I married my husband, Steven because he reminds me a lof of my father. I always wanted a man I could look up to and trust to keep me safe and I found that in Steven. My father has been married to my mom for 50 years and they are a lovely couple. My mom loves my father and her cooking shows it. I am a lot like him because I love to try different foods and I love a homecooked meal. Before his surgery I brought him over his favorite dish of Chicken with Eggplant in a Green Curry sauce. I learned how to make this from Nongkran Daks who is a Master Thai Chef. She owns a restaurant in Chantilly called Thai Basil and recently won a Pad Thai showdown with Bobby Flay.

One thing I love doing with my Dad is going to a new restaurant and introduce him to a new food. Recently for Father's Day, Steven and I took him out for sushi. This is the first time he ever tried it and he really enjoyed it. I have a lot of fond memories of my Dad cooking when my mom was working. He always tried new dishes with a really interesting diversity. Today the only thing he can handle is water because of the nausea. When he is feeling better again, we will venture out to try something new.

Feel better soon, Daddy, we love you!!

For those of you who are curious. Nongkran won the throwdown with the following recipe:

Pad Thai
Recipe courtesy Nongkran Daks

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra as needed
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon dried shrimp, optional
1/2 cup sliced pork
1/2 cup whole shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tablespoon (shredded) preserved radish
1/4 pound medium-size dried rice noodles (soaked 60 minutes in cold water and drained)
Water
5 tablespoons Pad Thai sauce, recipe follows
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground hot chiles, or more to taste
2 tablespoons ground roasted peanuts
1/2 cup sliced garlic chives or green onion
2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed, plus more for garnish
1 wedge lime

Directions

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the garlic and stir-fry until golden brown. Add the meat and shrimp and keep stirring until the shrimp changes color. Remove the shrimp to prevent overcooking and set aside.

Add the noodles. They will stick together so stir fast and try to separate them. Add a little water, stirring a few times. Then add the Pad Thai sauce, and keep stirring until everything is thoroughly mixed. The noodles should appear soft and moist. Return the cooked shrimp to the wok.

Push the contents of the wok up around the sides to make room to fry the eggs. If the pan is very dry, add 1 more tablespoon of oil. Add the eggs and spread the noodles over the eggs to cover. When the eggs are cooked, stir the noodles until everything is well mixed-this should result in cooked bits of eggs, both whites and yolk, throughout the noodle mixture.
Add chiles, peanuts, garlic chives and bean sprouts. Mix well. Remove to a platter. Serve with raw bean spouts and a few drops of lime juice.

Pad Thai Sauce:

1 cup tamarind juice
1 cup palm sugar plus 3 tablespoons
1 cup water
1/2 cup fish sauce
2 teaspoons salt

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan for about 60 minutes until it is well mixed and syrupy. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.