Pad Thai is a popular street food in Thailand. It can be found throughout the country and all over the world. I had this dish in a night market in Thailand. It was stir-fired in a wok and then wrapped in an old newspaper sheet lined with a plastic sheet. I have also seen Thai chefs expertly wrapping the noodles in a thin omelette sheet, or in an egg net like a piece of art work.
In this recipe, flat rice noodles are stir-fried with a sweet-savoury-sour sauce. Tamarind is the heart and soul of the Pad Thai sauce, giving it a unique sour flavour. Some foreign chefs use tomato ketchup as a substitute, but the taste is totally different.
In this recipe, I suggest making pad thai with chicken. In Thailand, pad thai is sometimes made with dried shrimps, but they are not always available in the UK. Fresh prawns may also be used.
Ingredients
- 200g dried Thai rice stick noodles, 3mm wide
- 60ml vegetable oil
- 1 brown onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 300g chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 200g firm tofu and deep fried, or smoked tofu, cut into batons
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes, plus another 1/2 tsp for garnishing
- 2 beaten eggs
- 150g beansprouts
- 1 big bunch garlic chives , cut into 3cm sections
- 60g roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped, for garnishing
- Lime wedges for garnishing
For the sauce:
- 3 tbsp tamarind pulp
- 4 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
- For the sauce, pour boiling water over the tamarind pulp, and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Break the pulp up with a fork, and strain the mixture into a bowl using a sieve. Press as much pulp through as possible using a spoon. Mix the tamarind water with the other ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
- Cook the rice noodles in plenty of water as per packet instructions. Rinse under running cold water and drain thoroughly.
- Heat a wok over high heat. Add oil, garlic and onion. Fry until fragrant. Add chicken and tofu. Cook for 1.5 minutes. Add the drained noodles and chilli flakes. Continue to stir fry and flip the noodles for a few minutes.
- Push the noodles to one side of the wok and pour in the egg on the other side. Scramble the egg. Mix in the noodles.
- Add the prepared sauce. Stir fry for a couple of minutes, allowing the noodles to absorb the sauce.
- Finally add most of the bean sprouts and chives. Fry briefly. Check seasoning. The noodles should be sweet, sour and salty. Serve on a plate. Garnish with the remaining bean sprouts, peanuts, lime wedges and chilli flakes on the side.
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