Wild Ginger (Ridgewood, NJ)

O hai thar.

My original plan yesterday was to start studying for my quiz after class. By the time I got to my car however, I decided to spend some quality time with my friend A instead. She suggested we give Wild Ginger in Ridgewood a try. The last time we were down there, we found out they have a four course dinner special.

Sadly, the special only runs Sunday - Thursday. And we had just missed lunch. Shucks.

As you can see, the place was empty. But it is very nice. Perhaps if we had been seated away from the window, it wouldn't have felt so hot inside. Thank goodness for the cool metal tables.

Wild Ginger isn't a straight up Japanese place, but "Pan Asian." The menu had a good variety of Asian dishes and an adequate sushi menu. A and I both went with the Pad Thai, hers with shrimp and mine just vegetables. We also ordered some sushi- Philadelphia roll, Salmon, and Salmon skin roll.

Presentation is nice. The mini woks are cute. The Pad Thai itself was alright, with plenty of egg and tofu. For a twelve dollar dish, it seemed to be a small portion... but A had a hard time finishing her meal.

I don't know if you can see it very well, but Wild Ginger doesn't use too much rice on their rolls. Sounds good to me. The Salmon skin had a nice smoky taste to it. A devoured her sushi, and the ginger to boot (which was very fresh).

If you get the chance to eat here, have the sorbet. The mango is the best, hands down.

Wild Ginger
31 Chestnut St.
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
201-857-3830

RPI, Get Your Pad Thai Fix: Thunder Mountain Curry

Today's special is Pad Thai, but you need to call ahead to reserve a plate. Leave a comment and I will give you the phone number via email.

Wednesday McNeil Room Menu                
Pan-Asian Cuisine

Mango Lassi                       3.50
Smoothie like drink of mango, yogurt, fresh mint, honey, and rose essence

Thai Iced Tea                   2.50
  Traditionally brewed and served   
    
Pakoras                           4.00
Onions and potatoes in a spicy chic pea batter crisply fried to order served with  a choice of dipping sauce and chutney 

       ***********Today’s Special***********

        Pad Thai 7.25

          Thai rice noodle stirfry please choose:

                Pork               Chicken           Vegetarian

The Daily Sampler  7.25
A combination plate of today’s dishes served with Malaysian fresh pickle, coriander mint chutney, Indonesian hot n’ sweet sambal, and toppings

Today we are serving:

Pakoras with two dipping sauces
Thai Cashew Chicken Stirfry
Red Chori Dal
Sesame Snow Pea Stirfry
Thai Sticky Rice with traditional dipping sauce
Basmati Rice

 Wednesday Rathskeller Menu                  
Pan-Asian Cuisine


Pakora                  4.00
Onions and potatoes in a spicy chic pea batter crisply fried to order served with  a choice of dipping sauce and chutney


Fried Dumplings (6)      4.00
Filled with roasted corn and peanuts, spinach, water chestnuts, and Thai seasonings or pork filled served with sweet chili sauce


Street Basket            6.00
Pakora and four dumplings served with three dipping sauces


The Daily Sampler  7.00
A combination plate of today’s dishes with coriander mint chutney and Indonesian hot n’ sweet chili sambal


Pakora
Dumplings (2)
Thai Cashew Curry Chicken
Red Chori Dal
Sesame Snow Peas
Basmati Rice

Pad Thai In Five Pictures Or Less

 

  

  

 

It's been years since I've had pad thai. The last time I made it was even longer. Pad thai had been a fad when it should have been a staple. It's relatively easy to make, and easy to screw up. When making this dish, it is important to make sure the noodles do not get mushy. Mushy noodles = clumpy pad thai = bad eating.

Mushy noodle prevention lies in the soak. Use enough warm water to cover the noodles and let them soften up. You know when they're ready when a noodle does not snap when you bend it. Drain the noodles and add near the end of cooking.

True pad thai means making your sauce from scratch. Somewhere down the line I will get to that point, but I'm going to stick to the pre-made sauce for the time being. Chez Pim has a recipe for pad thai sauce on her blog, along with a guide for pad thai noobs.

What exactly goes into pad thai? There's usually a protein of some sort (chicken, shrimp, or tofu); bean sprouts; scallions; ground peanuts; dried red chiles; fried garlic; and a spritz of lime. There are recipes out there that call for other ingredients, but hey... whatever you like, throw it in.

How is it cooked? It's only after dinner when I decided to go and see how it's actually done. I figured you just stir fry everything except the noodles, and just before finishing, add the noodles and sauce. Came out tasty and non-clumpy.

Check how this vendor makes it!