Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 4 oz (115g) dried rice stick noodles (about 1/4 of the package)
- 3 Tablespoons of tamarind sauce (comes with Pad Thai kit, add more if needed)
- 2 tablespoons of fish sauce (or a bit of salt or soy sauce)
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2-3 tablespoons of water (as needed)
- 1 large shallot, about 1 oz. minced
- 6 oz. of extra firm/firm tofu (use the firmest one you can find), cut into matchsticks 1 inch long and ¼ inch wide and thick
- ½ tablespoon of seasoning mix (comes with Pad Thai kit)
- Dried Chinese chives. (comes with Pad Thai kit)
- 8 oz. large raw shrimp in the shell, peeled and deveined
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 oz. mung bean sprouts (about 2 cups)
Table condiments and seasonings:
- ½ cup finely chopped roasted peanuts
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- Granulated sugar
- Fish sauce
- Crushed red pepper flake
Directions:
1. Immerse the rice noodles in room-temperature water to cover for 30-40 minutes until soft enough to wind around your fingers without breaking. Drain and cut into 6-inch lengths with scissors. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the tamarind sauce, fish sauce or salt and seasoning mix. Set aside.
3. Heat 3 tbsp. of oil in a wok or a 14-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the drained noodles and stir until the noodles are coated with the oil and have become more pliable but not yet cooked through. (about 1 minute) Add the prepared sauce and stir-fry for 1 minute to coat the noodles with the sauce.
4. Push the noodles to one side of the pan, add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil to the empty side of the pan, add the shallot and tofu and stir-fry for 1 minute on their side of the pan.
5. While the noodles are cooking in the sauce on the other side. Add the fresh shrimp to the shallot side of the pan and stir-fry until the shrimp are half cooked, for about 1 minute. Stir the noodles around once while still keeping them on their side of the pan.
6. Make a well in the center of the pan, add the eggs to the well, and scramble and shred them with the tip of the spatula until the egg bits are cooked through. (about 1 minute)
7. By this time all the moisture should have evaporated, the noodles should have become softened, and the shrimp should have been completely cooked. Do a strand check to see if the noodles are soft enough. If all of the moisture has evaporated and the noodles are still undercooked, add a little water as needed.
8. Plate the noodles and serve with the remaining bean sprouts, the table condiments and seasoning to be added as desired.