Pad Thai
A perfect balance of sweet, salty, and sour, this recipe for flavorful stir fried Pad Thai noodles makes for a quick and unique meal.
Servings: 3 people
Ingredients
- ¼ lb thick rice noodles (banh pho)
For the Sauce
- 3 tablespoon tamarind paste*
- 1 ½ tablespoon fish sauce (can substitute soy sauce in a pinch)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon crushed red chili peppers
Putting It Together
- 2 tablespoon peanut oil
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ lb pork, chicken or tofu, uncooked, cut into bite sized pieces
- ¼ lb shrimp, whole, shelled and veined
- 2 eggs, beaten lightly
- 2 c bean sprouts
To Garnish
- ¼ c peanuts, roasted, unsalted
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- Cilantro or green onions, chopped
Instructions
Preparing the Ingredients
- Place the dry noodles in a large bowl filled with warm water. Let the noodles soak for 30-40 minutes, until they are flexible, but still quite solid. (It is better to under soak them at this point rather than over soak them.) Once the noodles have soaked, drain and set them aside.
- While your noodles are soaking prepare the rest of your ingredients. Cooking Pad Thai goes very quickly, and it is helpful to have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to be thrown into the wok.
- Create your sauce by mixing together the tamarind paste, fish sauce, white sugar, and chili peppers. (See note below if you can’t find tamarind paste.) Every version of tamarind paste and fish sauce will taste slightly different, so taste your sauce and adjust it to your liking. The sauce should be a nice balance of sweet, salty, tangy, and spicy.
Making Pad Thai
- Heat your oil in a large wok over high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, until lightly golden. Add the pork and shrimp and sauté until both are cooked through, 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add the drained noodles and your prepared sauce. Toss the noodles with the sauce and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Taste the noodles for texture and add a tablespoon of water to your wok if they are still too firm and tough. (The noodles should be soft, chewy, and dry.)
- Push everything in your wok to one side and pour in your beaten eggs. Let them cook on the bottom of the wok until nearly cooked through. Then, fold them in with the noodles.
- Add the bean sprouts and toss them with the noodles. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Serve the Pad Thai with roasted peanuts, lime wedges, and chopped cilantro or green onions as desired.
Notes
*Tamarind paste can be difficult to find in come grocery stores. Look in Asian grocery stores or World Market.
If you can’t find tamarind paste, you can substitute 1 ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1 ½ tablespoon water, and 1 teaspoon brown sugar, mixed well, for the 3 tablespoon tamarind paste called for in this recipe.