Drunken Thai Noodles (Not Really Thai At All!)
This dish is our version of Drunken Thai Noodles, otherwise known as Pad Kee Mao. Drunken Noodles are usually made with holy basil, which has a much different taste than our basil. But since it is summertime, and basil is abundant, we use it anyway. They are also made with a much wider noodle than the rice sticks that are available in most supermarkets. We thought we would keep it easy for ourselves, and make the dish using what is local and available to us in the summer. It is an easy dish that can feed 4.

Ingredients:
1 handful per person wide, flat rice noodles (sometimes called “rice sticks”)
6 sea scallops
2 T sunflower oil (or another high- heat oil)
7 oz. tofu (half the standard 14oz. package), cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, white and pale green parts only, minced
1 jalapeño, serrano, or Thai bird chile*, finely minced
3 chile de arbol*
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup zucchini, thinly sliced in half circles
½ cup yellow squash, thinly sliced in half circles
1 cup loose fresh basil, rinsed and finely chopped
1 cup loose sunflower seed sprouts

For the Sauce:
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 lime, juiced
4 T soy sauce
1 T oyster sauce
1 T fish sauce
1 T rice wine vinegar

Soak the noodles for 15 minutes, and then boil for 1 minute and strain.
Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the sauce and reserve.
Using a mortar and pestle, grind the garlic, scallions and chile peppers until smooth. You might not get to a full paste, but just make sure everything has been crushed and mashed together. You can also use a mini blender to form a paste if you would like.
Remove the foot of the scallops, and rinse them in cold water. Pat dry and slice each scallop in quarters.
In a large sauté pan, heat up the sunflower oil. Fry the tofu cubes until they have a nice light brown edge. Remove from the pan.
Add more oil if necessary, and begin to sauté the garlic/scallion/chile paste in the hot oil.
You want to use a wooden spoon to push the ingredients around in the pan rapidly, as they will cook quickly in the hot oil.
Add in the zucchini and squash slices and continue sautéing and moving everything around in the hot pan. Season the scallops and add them to the pan. If the contents of the pan start to get too dry and stick, pour in a tablespoon or so of water.
Next, add the noodles, sauce, and tomatoes to the pan and stir well.
When all of the ingredients have cooked through, turn off the heat, and stir in the fresh basil. Season with more chile peppers and the bean sprouts.
Serves 4 people.

* Jalapeño peppers are milder than serranos. You can buy Chile de Arbol in the produce section of most grocery stores. If you can’t, season the final dish with white pepper or red chile flakes.