North Mississippi spent much of the weekend watching the weather.

Radar apps refreshed constantly. James Spann was on our TVs, and Matt Laubhan was on our Facebook feeds. Phones stayed charged. Grocery carts filled faster than usual.

In the Golden Triangle, we somehow escaped the worst of it – just tons of rain, but minimal ice, little tree damage, no power outages and no busted pipes. I grew up in Oxford. My grandparents live in Water Valley, and my mom is in Lafayette County. Photos and updates from them over the weekend showed just how lucky our area was. My grandparents finally got their power back late Monday night, but social media has shown the area still has hundreds – probably thousands – of trees to clear before recovery can truly begin.

Though we were spared, like many families, we stocked up early last week and cooked as if the lights might go out at any moment.
Severe weather sends people to the grocery store and, in turn, the kitchen. Bread gets baked. Soups simmer. Freezers are inventoried and reorganized. And promises get made: If we keep power through the weekend, I’m making something good.

For me, that something was shrimp pad thai – one of my favorites and especially one of my husband Austin’s.

Pad thai is comfort food that still feels a little fancy in our house. This recipe is fast, flexible and forgiving, which is exactly what you want when you’re cooking under the quiet tension of knowing a winter storm is turning parts of your home state upside down. It’s also the kind of dish that doesn’t rely heavily on nonperishable staples, which mattered as shelves thinned and roads felt questionable.

This version started, unapologetically, with a frozen bag of medium shrimp from the Walmart seafood section.

Were they our favorite – the absolutely superior Gulf shrimp? No. Were they still good? For this, yes. When winter weather is threatening and you’re cooking with what you have, frozen shrimp do the job just fine. Thawed quickly under cold running water and dried well, they cook fast and stay tender, especially when folded into noodles slicked with a sweet-sour sauce.

Pad thai, at its core, is a stir-fry. That’s worth remembering because it takes some pressure off. There’s chopping, some soaking, a little scrambling and a lot of stirring, but nothing fussy. The key is having everything ready before the pan gets hot.

The noodles come first – rice stick noodles soaked just until tender, not soft. Over-soaking leads to mush, and pad thai noodles should bend, not collapse. If rice noodles intimidate you, that’s fair. They made me nervous the first few times, too. For a first attempt, spaghetti can work as a substitute. It holds up a bit firmer and can build confidence. A quick toss with a neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable, keeps noodles from sticking while you build the rest of the dish.

The sauce is where pad thai earns its reputation. Tamarind paste provides the backbone – sour, fruity and more complex than citrus. Fish sauce brings salt and depth. Honey rounds it out, and rice vinegar sharpens the edges. The balance should taste bold on its own; once it hits the noodles, it mellows.

Technique matters here. A large wok is ideal, but a wide skillet works just as well. Aromatics go in first, followed by eggs lightly scrambled in the pan before the vegetables join the mix. Napa cabbage wilts quickly, adding sweetness and texture, while bean sprouts keep things crisp.

The shrimp go in last, and they don’t need long. Once they turn pink, the noodles and sauce are added together. Tossing – not stirring – helps coat everything evenly without breaking the noodles. When the pan smells nutty, tangy and just a little funky from the fish sauce, you’re there.

By the time we sat down to eat, we knew the weather wasn’t going to worsen for us. The lights were still on. The house smelled like peanuts, garlic and lime. It wasn’t fancy, but it felt like a small reward for making it through an anxious winter weather weekend.
Sometimes that’s all a good recipe needs to be.

SIMPLE SHRIMP PAD THAI

Adapted from Mark Bittman

Yield: 4 servings
Total time: About 25 minutes

Ingredients:
4 ounces fettuccine-width rice stick noodles or spaghetti
1/4 cup peanut oil, divided
1 to 4 tablespoons tamarind paste, to taste
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 garlic clove, minced
2 eggs
1 small head Napa cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups)
1 cup mung bean sprouts
2 cups of fresh green beans
1/2 pound peeled shrimp (fresh or frozen and thawed), pressed tofu or a combination
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 limes, quartered

Directions:
■ Put rice noodles in a large bowl and add boiling water to cover. (Similar to making ramen.) Let sit until noodles are just tender, checking every 5 minutes so they do not get too soft. Drain, drizzle with 1 tablespoon peanut oil to keep from sticking and set aside. If you decide to use spaghetti noodles, prep those how you normally would but ensure they don’t get too soft.
■ Meanwhile, combine 1 tablespoon tamarind paste (tamarind paste varies in strength; start with less and adjust), fish sauce, honey and rice vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring just to a simmer. Taste and add more tamarind paste if desired. The sauce should be piquant but not unpleasantly sour. Stir in red pepper flakes and set aside.
■ Put remaining 3 tablespoons peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add scallions and garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add eggs; once they begin to set, scramble until just done.
■ Add cabbage, green beans, and bean sprouts and cook until cabbage begins to wilt. Add shrimp or tofu (or both) and cook until shrimp begin to turn pink and tofu begins to brown.
■ Add drained noodles and sauce to the pan. Toss to coat and combine well. When noodles are warmed through, serve, sprinkling each portion with peanuts and garnishing with cilantro and lime wedges.