Pad Thai

I don't do a lot of Thai cooking but pad thai is one of my favorite noodle dishes. It's for that reason alone that I realized I had to master it. It's so savory and limey I love it! So, without further adieu I give you pad thai!!!!!!!!!

Yield: Feeds roughly 6 people

Ingredients:

• 1 Package Rice Noodle
• (2) Package Deep Fried Tofu (I recommend Furama, it has less fat and is spongier than other brands.)
• 1/2 lb Cooked and Peeled Shrimp
• 3 Eggs
• 8 Cloves Minced Garlic
• 4 (small) Minced Shallots
• 1 Lime
• 1 Bunch Green Onion
• 2-3 Handfull Bean Sprouts
• 3 Tbsp Fish Sauce
• 6 tbsp Tamarind Paste
• 4 tbsp Pad Thai Sauce
• 1 tbsp Red Chili Flakes

Recipe:

Place the noodles in a bowl of warm water, allow to soak for 15-20min then drain off the water. You can soak the noodles while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

NOTE: The most important part of this recipe obviously is the noodles, they should be flexible and slightly soft after soaking, not mushy though.

Mince the garlic and shallots. Cut the tofu into strips, and juice the lime. Next mix together the fish sauce, tamarind paste, pad thai sauce, and chili flakes.

Add a liberal amount of peanut oil or alternative cooking oil to a wok on high heat (~8 Tbsp oil). Add in the garlic and shallots and toss a few times in the hot oil.

Next add the tofu and continue to cook for 2-3min.

Add the noodles in roughly 5-6 small portions and stir after each addition to ensure all the noodles are coated in oil and don't stick together too much.

After all the noodles are added, pour in the sauce and toss to coat evenly.

Push the noodles to one side and add in the eggs. Continue to toss until the egg is cooked and coating the noodles.

Next add in the bean sprouts and continue to toss for another 2-3min.

Add in the shrimp and lime juice and continue to cook for another 5min.

Test one of the noodles for softness, if too hard then add some water and continue to cook and add more water if needed until the noodles reach the desired softness.

Aroma of fish sauce wafts in the air, a slight sting on your nostrils from the chili flakes. None of it matters though after you garnish you dish with green onion and squeeze on some more lime juice; the taste of your first bite is just too delicious to care about anything else.