Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Shrimp

Name: Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Shrimp
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 clove garlic (minced); 3 tablespoons Sweet Chili Sauce; 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce; 2 tablespoons tamari (or light soy sauce); ¼ cup water; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; Zest & juice from one lime; 1 lb medium shrimp (70-80/lb, shelled and cleaned); 2 tablespoons peanut oil (or refined coconut oil); 1 clove garlic (minced); 2 large orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (peeled and spiralized); 2 tablespoons peanut oil (or refined coconut oil); 1 large onion (peeled & sliced thinly root to end); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1 whole red bell pepper (sliced in thin strips); ¼ cup chopped cilantro; Chopped cilantro; Chopped peanuts; Sliced green onions; Crushed red pepper flakes

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In Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Pan-fried Shrimp, the natural sweetness and robust texture of spiralized sweet potato noodles perfectly complements the flavors and textures of traditional Pad Thai.

Large wok with spiralized sweet potato noodles, vegetables, and shrimp. Granished with cilantro and peanuts.

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The Best Way to Spiralize
What Goes into this Recipe
FAQs & Expert Tips
Related Recipes
Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Shrimp

Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Shrimp is a pleasure for your senses, hitting all the taste points – sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami; plus it's gluten-free (just use gluten free soy sauce or tamari), dairy-free, and naturally high in fiber. Bottom line though – it tastes amazing!

The Best Way to Spiralize

In case you’ve been living in a cave for the last few years, spiral vegetable cutters, or “spiralizers,” are kitchen gadgets that cut fruits and vegetables into long noodles and ribbons, which then can be then be used in place of pasta, and as additions in salads, side dishes, etc. However, it took me some time to embrace this spiralizer movement.

My reticence came from experience. All of the hand-held and counter-top spiralizers I'd tested/used simply didn't deliver: they cracked under the strain of hard, dense vegetables; they hurt my hand and wrist to operate; and some models are a huge pain when it comes to clean up.

Then KitchenAid® came to my rescue - with a carefully engineered, well-thought Spiralizer Attachment. (Please note: this is not a sponsored post. I just really love my spiralizer!)

Oh my gosh, I love those KitchenAid® people! They know how to do things right!! The KitchenAid Spiralizer lets your stand mixer motor do all the work. Once you figure out how to use the attachment, it’s a breeze. (I found the included instructions a little sub-par)

Clean-up is super easy too. Waste is minimal, and what is made creates these cool little cores that can be sliced or used for garnishing.

For Lefties Only: Unlike almost every counter-top spiralizer out there, this one works equally well for lefties and non-lefties alike! (See, that's me looking out for you.)

What Goes into this Recipe

Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Pan-fried Shrimp - is a deliciously tasty dish that blends the natural sweetness and robust texture of spiralized sweet potato noodles with the traditional flavors and textures of Pad Thai.

Spiralized Sweet Potatoes. sliced red peppers, onions, and limes.

FAQs & Expert Tips

What the heck is a Spider?

A "spider" is a type of skimmer used in Asian and Dutch cooking. It is a wide shallow wire-mesh basket with a long handle, used for removing hot food from a liquid or skimming foam off when making broths.

The name is derived from the wire pattern, which looks like a spider's web. I use mine all the time.

Why is there no tamarind paste in this pad thai recipe?

Pad Thai usually relies on tamarind paste for its unique flavor profile, but I think that the combination of lime and brown sugar accomplishes this well in this dish, without requiring that you search out and buy difficult-to-find ingredients.

That said, if you have tamarind paste available to you, you can definitely use it here - simply reduce the brown sugar in the sauce by 1 tablespoon and use only half the lime juice.

Dissolve 1 tablespoon tamarind paste in ¼-cup warm water before adding it to the sauce. Do not add additional water.

Spiralized Sweet Potato Pad Thai, cooked, in large wok.

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In this easy-to-fix Pad Thai with shrimp, the natural sweetness and robust texture of spiralized sweet potato noodles take the place of traditional rice noodles, perfectly complementing the flavors and textures of this otherwise traditional Pad Thai.

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Asian Fusion

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Prep Time:30 minutes

Total Time:30 minutes

Servings: servings

Calories: 304kcal

Author: Renee

Equipment

1 spiralizer
1 wok or large heavy skillet
1 stainless steel spider or large metal slotted spoon

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Sauce

1 clove garlic minced
3 tablespoons Sweet Chili Sauce
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
2 tablespoons tamari or light soy sauce
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Zest & juice from one lime

Shrimp

1 lb medium shrimp 70-80/lb, shelled and cleaned
2 tablespoons peanut oil or refined coconut oil
1 clove garlic minced

Sweet Potato Noodles

2 large orange-fleshed sweet potatoes peeled and spiralized
2 tablespoons peanut oil or refined coconut oil
1 large onion peeled & sliced thinly root to end
2 cloves garlic minced
1 whole red bell pepper sliced in thin strips
¼ cup chopped cilantro

Garnish

Chopped cilantro
Chopped peanuts
Sliced green onions
Crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

Sauce

Combine sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. (You can also make the sauce in a small beverage blender.)

Shrimp

Pour ⅓ cup sauce in a large ziploc bag.
Add cleaned shrimp to the bag and toss around a bit to combine. Set the rest of the sauce aside.
Allow the shrimp marinate in the sauce for 15-30 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high. When a drop of water sizzles in the pan, drop the shrimp in a few at a time.(I do this in 2 batches.)
Let the shrimp stay where they are when they hit the hot pan so that they get a little bit browned on one side and then flip them over. This will take just a couple of minutes - don't overcook them!
The shrimp are done when they are pinkish all the way through.
Immediately remove the cooked shrimp from pan with a spider or slotted spoon and set aside.

Sweet Potato Noodles

In a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat, saute the sliced onion in 2 tablespoons of peanut oil until translucent; about 3 minutes.
Add garlic and sliced bell pepper and saute about 4 more minutes; until the red pepper begins to soften.
Add spiralized sweet potato noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes, gently folding up from the bottom of the pan a few times.
Add ¼ cup water to the pan and cover immediately.
Steam for 2 minutes.
Check for doneness, and then cover again and cook 2 more minutes.
Repeat until noodles are tender but not mushy. (You are not making mashed potatoes!)
Add remaining sauce, cooked shrimp, and chopped cilantro and toss gently to combine.

Garnish & Serve

Garnish with additional cilantro, chopped peanuts, chopped green onions, and crushed red pepper flakes.
Serve warm (although it is delicious cold too!)

Notes

Nutrition

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

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