andrejthechef
ThailandNoodlesDinnerDairy-free

Pad Thai

Street-stall pad thai at home: rice noodles tossed hard in a tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar glaze with shrimp, egg, tofu and peanuts.

prep
30 min
cook
10 min
total
40 min
serves
2
level
medium
Pad Thai, a classic from Thailand.

Pad thai lives or dies on one triangle: tamarind for sour, fish sauce for salt, palm sugar for sweet. Get the sauce balanced before anything touches the wok and the rest is two fast minutes of tossing.

This recipe makes two portions on purpose. A home wok cannot char four portions at once; it can only steam them. Cook it twice rather than doubling it.

Pad Thai is one of the world's classic dishes from 67 countries.

method

  1. Soak the noodles in warm (not boiling) water for about 30 minutes, until pliable but still firm. Drain.

  2. Warm the tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar together until dissolved. Taste: sour first, then salty, then sweet. Adjust.

  3. Heat a wok until smoking. Sear the shrimp in a little oil until just pink and set aside.

  4. More oil, then the shallot, garlic, tofu and dried shrimp for a minute.

  5. Add the noodles and the sauce and toss constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, until the noodles absorb the sauce and start to char in spots.

  6. Push everything to one side, crack the eggs into the space, scramble until almost set, then toss through.

  7. Return the shrimp, add the beansprouts and chives, toss for 30 seconds, and serve with peanuts and lime.

chef's tips

  • Undersoak the noodles. They finish cooking in the wok; soft noodles going in means mush coming out.
  • Taste the sauce before it hits the pan. Every tamarind paste has a different strength.
  • Two portions per wok, maximum. Crowding is why home pad thai tastes boiled.