Cheap "Pad Thai"

[rattattoo]

This is pretty much an unplanned review, so, it is not quite as professional as I would like. I was literally halfway through the bowl before I realized that it was so good that I ought to do a review of it.
Now, since I am at the end of this year's hiking, and outdoor season here in Northern New England, I have been trying to eat up some of the "trail foods" that I didn't get around to during the summer.

Here,we go. Retrieved from the trash.... This was my lunch.

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For those who are unfamiliar with Pad Thai, it is a dish of "cellophane" noodles with a spicy peanut sauce. The very similar, Chinese version is called "dun-dun" noodles and is wheat based, where these cellophane noodles are rice. In a restaurant presentation, there would be large pieces of onion, pepper, bean sprouts, and your choice of chicken or shrimp. This dollar store package did away with all of those, and simply included the noodles, a condiment-style package of oil, and a second package of powdered flavorings and dried vegetables... but, Hey!... $1.00!
You put the dried noodles into boiling water, and let them cook for a minute or so, or else allow them to sit for a few minutes. You drain them and then pour and shake the accompanying packages of flavorings over the top, give it a stir, and get down to eating.
This nonperishable nature, and ease of preparation makes it ideal for taking along on a trek.

Me, being me, my treatment included quite a few additions.
It got a diced up leftover chicken thigh, about the same amount of real peanut butter as would come in an MRE squeeze pack, some extra hot sauce, a teaspoonful of dried chives off the spice shelf, a tablespoon of real sesame oil [probably totally unnecessary because of the peanut butter, but very tasty anyways]... And that was about it. Really, nothing that you wouldn't be able to carry along quite easily.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I had already gotten halfway through lunch before I decided to do the review. Here is the victim.

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The noodles turned out super tender, the peanut butter helped the sauce to stick to the noodles, and the chicken provided that bit of protein that the Rattattoo always prefers in his meal. [My family were the ones who, when the monkeys came down out of the trees, took a look around at what was available for dinner, and said... "I'll have what the saber tooth is having, please"]
The pad Thai meal, quite simply, was delicious. This one gets an easy "would do again".

I will leave you with a last thought. One of my other dollar store finds was this packaged chicken salad snack. I haven't opened one yet, but the can seems as though it would be about the same size as potted meat. This would look to be almost the perfect size addition for this pad Thai meal. I will probably get a couple more of each if they still have them, and if I do I will certainly try one out a with this spicy chicken.

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[Ruleryak]

Looks tasty! Thanks for the review

[RockyRaab]

Your Dollar Store is MUCH better than mine! All I ever see in mine are Cup O'Noodles, old cans of pork and beans, and really chintzy sardines. But I'll keep looking!

Great review considering it was almost an afterthought.

[rattattoo]

That's a shame.
The mapping doobie sez you have "Dollar Tree"s there in UT. That's mostly my choice.
I just got more of the BuffChxSalad last Friday on the way Upptacamp. No take-out-box Thai though...

[RockyRaab]

Yup, and Dollar Tree is where I shop for cheap snacks - and generic fuel line antifreeze for my stove fuel. But it seems like every store has different stuff, which changes constantly. I'll keep an eye out for this.

I should also say that adding peanut butter is brilliant. Real Pad Thai contains peanut sauce.

Finally, those are great photos in crystal-sharp focus.

[rattattoo]

Yup, and Dollar Tree is where I shop for cheap snacks - and generic fuel line antifreeze for my stove fuel. But it seems like every store has different stuff, which changes constantly. I'll keep an eye out for this.

I should also say that adding peanut butter is brilliant. Real Pad Thai contains peanut sauce.

Finally, those are great photos in crystal-sharp focus.

Peanut butter is one of the best and quickest ways I have found of upgrading almost anything "oriental" to taste like Thai. It will even work its magic on simple ramen noodles... just drain almost all of the water BEFORE you add the included power-base and a dollop of PB.
Our US MRE squeezers of PB are just about the perfect size for this trick. [I'd hold back on trying the ones with chocolate though... but you can also add one of the sqzrs of salsa]

[rabidwolf]

I'm about to head out to do some errands as I type this. I'll check out the Dollar Tree in the nearest town while I'm out. Then report back if I find any Pad Thai.

[Norton]

Thank you, both products look very useful for camping trips. Lightweight and low cost. I can the the Bumble Bee would rock combined with Asian noodles.
I have mixed Underwood brand Deviled Chicken with soft retort Japanese soft noodles and sauce pact. It added protein and fat. Same with potted meat and Ramen, it works as a cheap but filling meal on the trail

[rattattoo]

I went through the DollarTree the other day and found that the same noodles were back in stock. I grabbed some, but I'm hoping that they might be a continuing, if sporadic, item.
So, if you have $$Tree around, you might want to check.
All that "take-away" box packaging can go in the trash to save space when you pack up to go out, and the dry noodles are some of the best I've found. I suspect numerous variations could be worked up. I've been wondering about the older MRE #24 Buffalo Chicken and the 2012-14 #22 Asian Beef Strips as "sauces".

[rabidwolf]

I had forgotten about this thread. Here are some pictures of what I found at the local Dollar Tree and Big Lots. Sorry about the poor picture quality. Phone has been acting up.

No cheap pad thai found. However... I did find some Thai Kitchen Peanut Thai Rice Noodles, and some other goodies. Such as UHT milk.

I'm looking forward to trying the Bumblebee Mango Chutney Tilapia fillets, and the curry.