Pad Thai
Ingredients
- Sauce:
- 1/4 cup fish sauce (preferably Tiparos)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup tamarind paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha hot chili sauce (optional)
- Stir-Fry:
- 7 ounces chantaboon rice stick noodles (1/2 package)
- 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced salted turnip or salted radish (available in specialty shops)
- 1 teaspoon dried shrimp
- 1/2 cup diced baked tofu
- 2 large eggs
- 8 uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 teaspoon paprika (optional)
- 3 green onions, cut on the bias into 2-inch strips
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1/4 cup chopped dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
- 4 lime wedges
Preparation
To prepare the sauce: Mix together the fish sauce, sugar, tamarind paste, lime juice, vinegar, and chili sauce, if using. Set aside.
To prepare the noodles: Place the noodles in a bowl and add enough warm water to cover. Soak for 1 hour. Do not drain.
For the stir-fry: Heat a large wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil. When the first wisp of white smoke comes off of the wok, add the garlic, turnip, and dried shrimp and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the tofu and stir-fry until it begins to soften and brown, about 3 minutes.
Push the ingredients to one side of the wok. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the center of the wok. Add the eggs and lightly scramble until the eggs are half-cooked, scraping up any egg that sticks to the bottom of the wok, about 30 seconds. Stir the eggs into the remaining cooked ingredients in the pan.
Using your hands, lift 3 to 4 cups of the noodles from the water, and add the noodles to the egg mixture, allowing any clinging water from the noodles to drip into the wok. Stir-fry until the noodles begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
Drizzle the sauce over the noodles and stir to coat. Add the paprika, if using, while the noodles are moist. Fold together until the paprika evenly colors the noodles, the noodles are soft, and all the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. If the noodles look too dry, add some of the noodle soaking water.
Push the noodle mixture to one side of the wok. Add the large shrimp to the empty side of the wok, then cover the shrimp with the noodle mixture. Let cook without stirring until the shrimp begin to turn pink, about 30 seconds.
Place the green onions and half of the bean sprouts in the center of the noodles, and then spoon some noodles over to cover. Let steam without stirring until the shrimp are cooked through and the bean sprouts soften slightly, about 30 seconds. Stir the bean sprouts through the noodles.
Transfer the pad thai to a serving platter. Garnish with the remaining bean sprouts and the peanuts. Serve with lime wedges.
