Pad Thai

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 8 ounces rice noodles, dried, thin
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce, to taste
• 3 tablespoons tamarind juice, the thickness of fruit concentrate to taste
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar, to taste
• 4 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1/3 lb fresh shrimp, shelled, deveined and butterflied
• 3/4 cup tofu, firm pressed, cut into thin strips about an inch long, half an inch wide and a quarter inch thick
• 4 -5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced (or substitute with half a medium onion)
• 1/4 cup dried shrimp, small
• 1/4 cup radish, chopped (sweetened salted)
• 2 -3 teaspoons dried red chilies, ground (to desired hotness)
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups fresh bean sprouts
• 1 cup garlic chives, cut into 1 1/2-inch-long segments (optional)
• 2/3 cup chopped unsalted dry roasted peanuts
• 1 lime, cut into small wedges
• 2 -3 sprigs fresh cilantro
• 4 green onions, trim off root tip and half of green leaves and place in a glass with end in cold water to cris

Recipe

• 1 soak the dried rice noodles in cool or lukewarm tap water for 40 minutes to one hour, or until the noodles are limp but still firm to the touch.
• 2 while the noodles are soaking, mix the fish sauce with the tamarind juice and palm sugar; stir well to melt the sugar.
• 3 taste and adjust flavors to the desired combination of salty, sour and sweet. prepare the remaining ingredients as instructed.
• 4 when the noodles have softened, drain and set aside.
• 5 heat a wok over high heat until it is smoking hot. (note: if your wok is small, do the stir-frying in two batches. the recipe may also be halved to serve two.)
• 6 add 2 teaspoons of oil and quickly stir-fry the shrimp until they turn pink and are almost cooked through. salt lightly with a sprinkling of fish sauce and remove them from the wok.
• 7 reserve 1 teaspoon of the remaining oil, add the rest of the oil to the wok and swirl to coat the wok surface, wait 20 to 30 seconds for it to heat.
• 8 add the tofu, frying 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pieces turn golden.
• 9 add garlic and stir-fry with the tofu for 15 to 20 seconds.
• 10 follow with the sliced shallots and cook another 15 seconds.
• 11 add the dried shrimp, sweetened salted radish and ground dried chillies. stir and heat through a few seconds.
• 12 add the noodles and toss well with the ingredients in the wok.
• 13 stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes and when most of the noodles has changed texture and softened, push the mass up along one side of the wok.
• 14 add the reserves teaspoon of oil to the cleared area, crack the eggs onto it and scramble lightly.
• 15 when the eggs have set, cut into small chunks with the spatula and toss them in with the noodles.
• 16 add the sweet-and-sour seasoning mixture. stir well to evenly coat noodles.
• 17 if the noodles are still too firm to your liking, sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of water over them to help cook.
• 18 taste and adjust flavors as needed to your liking by adding more fish sauce or tamarind juice; if the noodles are not sweet enough, sprinkle in a small amount of granulated sugar.
• 19 when the noodles are cooked to your liking, toss in 2 of the 3 cups of bean sprouts and the garlic chives (if using).
• 20 sprinkle with half the chopped peanuts and return the shrimp to the wok.
• 21 stir and when the vegetables are partially wilted, transfer to a serving platter, or dish onto individual serving-size plates, and garnish with the remaining bean sprouts and chopped peanuts, the lime wedges, cilantro and green onions.