I can create a pad thai recipe in my head.  I don’t need a cookbook.  I only need a bit of ingredient inspiration and a few basic cooking skills.  Luckily, I’ve just returned from the Koloa Rum Company, and I’m excited to find a way to get the flavors of their dark rum into my cooking.

I’ve also taken an organic beef tour in Hawaii, having toured the Maui Cattle Company earlier this week, so I’m also inspired to use local pasture raised beef.

I’ll have to make one confession.  While I say that I can create a recipe without a cookbook, the truth of the matter is that I HAVE to create my own recipe because I don’t even have a cookbook.  I don’t have a pantry of ingredients.  I don’t have spices, I barely have acceptable pots and pans in my vacation rental kitchen, so it’s up to me and my basic cooking methods for dinner tonight.

My improvised pad thai recipe will start with marinating local beef in the Koloa Spiced Rum, in an attempt to steal some of that great spice flavor from the rum.  From there, it’s a simple saute procedure, as I’ll brown the drained beef, deglaze with some beef broth, add Koloa Dark Rum for that extra level of flavor, and reduce the sauce.

What will give this made up meal it’s flavor profile is peanut butter and coconut milk.  They’re added to the reducing liquid to give even more complex flavors, but not complicating the cooking process.

Lastly, I’ll add the Thai noodles to the pan and crack a raw egg on top.  The egg will scramble from the heat and attach itself to the noodles and strips of beef.  It’s a delicious combination of flavors and textures that no cookbook could tell me how to do.

I can whip up an easy pad thai recipe, and so can you with just this basic procedure.  Once you watch the video I hope you’re inspired to change the ingredients I’ve used and create your own dish, to your tastes, in the way you like it, and forget about written recipes.

Basic Saute Method is just the beginning. Discover more with my cooking DVDs