With chewy rice noodles coated in a sweet and sour sauce with plenty of peanuts to top it, it's no wonder that Pad Thai is the most popular Thai dish in the western world.
lime slicesroasted chili flakes, white sugar as accompaniments
Instructions
To Make Pad Thai Sauce:
Make tamarind paste by mixing ¼ cup of wet tamarind with ½ cup of hot water. Mash between your fingers until the tamarind forms a paste and then strain to get all seeds and veins out.
Mix the tamarind paste with the other sauce ingredients and heat over medium heat until everything is dissolved.
To Make Pad Thai Noodles:
Prepare your pad Thai sauce and all other ingredients. Once you start cooking, you won't have time to wash, chop, or mix anything.
Heat a pot of water on medium heat until small bubbles appear on the bottom. Blanch the rice noodles in this water for 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a wok to medium-high heat. Add a bit of oil and wait until it's hot. Then add the garlic, shallots, and salted radish and saute until garlic is golden brown.
Add the fried tofu and shrimp and saute until they are cooked through. By the time they're done, your rice noodles should also be done.
Drain the rice noodles and immediately put into the wok. Add the pad Thai sauce and shrimp paste in soya bean oil and stir to incorporate.
Move everything to the side of the wok and scramble an egg on the other side. Once it's done, incorporate it with the noodles.
Add the bean sprouts, garlic chives, and peanuts. Stir fry for just a few seconds more until the chives are barely wilted. Take off the heat immediately.
Serve with lime slices, roasted chili flakes, and white sugar on the side. Enjoy!