My parents got me some kitchen utensils as a birthday gift, including a vegetable spiralizer aka zoodle maker!   http://www.crateandbarrel.com/spirelli-spiral-slicer/s187764

I consume enough carbohydrates in the form of wine, and I do love pasta but try to avoid excessive carbs in the form of food.   I also really enjoy veggies, especially while so many are in season in the summer.   Pad Thai is my ultimate weakness, so I decided to try to make zoodle “Pad Thai”.   Recipe and wine pairing below:

Pad Thai Sauce

1 tablespoons tamarind paste, mixed with 1/2 cup of warm water (which makes tamarind juice)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup palm sugar

Mix together all sauce ingredients in saucepan, cook over low heat for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Zoodle Pad Thai

2 carrots
4 small zucchini
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 eggs
1 small red chili, seeded and diced – optional (or you can use 1 tablespoon red curry paste)
1 cup sliced green onion – just the green part
4 cups bean sprouts
2 cups crushed peanuts
Pad Thai Sauce
1 lime

Using a spiralizer, twist carrots and zucchini into “zoodles”

In a wok or large frying pan, saute garlic and shallots in vegetable oil on medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until garlic/shallots start to brown. Raise heat to high, add eggs, scramble until eggs start to brown. Add red chili or red curry (add more if you like it spicy!), zoodles, green onion, bean sprouts, peanuts and 1 cup of pad thai sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes.   Serve with lime wedges.

One of my favorite white wines to pair with Asian cuisine is a dry or slightly off-dry gewurztraminer.   Hook and Ladder makes an insanely delicious one…   notes of lychee, stonefruit, and meyer lemon.  The ripe and juicy fruit makes it a nice pairing with spicy dishes.

$18/bottle at Whole Foods – or stop by the winery in Santa Rosa!

http://www.hookandladderwinery.com/

Grand Slam!