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–+ servings
Pad Thai Shrimp - noodle dish

Pad Thai: Authentic & Easy

5 from 1 vote
A traditional version of Thailand's best-known dish. The balance of flavours is surprising and super easy to prepare.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Thailand
Servings 2 servings

Adjust servings

Ingredients

  • 120 g dried rice noodles - ~5mm width
  • 6-8 medium-sized shrimp - fresh
  • 1/2 cup hard tofu - cut into small cubes
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp dried shrimp - chopped
  • 2 tbsp sweet fermented radish - (optional)
  • 2 cups bean sprouts
  • 10 stems garlic chives - or 6 stems spring onions - cut into 3cm pieces
  • 1 shallot - or 1/2 red onion - chopped
  • 3 tbsp roasted peanut - roughly chopped
  • 4 tbsp tamarind juice - (or 1 tbsp tamarind pulp - see instructions)
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce - Nam Pla
  • 2 tbsp palm sugar - can be substituted by light brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 lime
  • dried chilli flakes - to taste

Instructions

Prepare Tamarind Juice

  • In a bowl, mix 1 tbsp of tamarind pulp soup (peeled tamarind fruit) with 1 cup of hot water. Let it rest for about 15 minutes. Then, massage the tamarind pulp with your hands until the seeds come off. Drain the juice with the help of a sieve. Planning tip: the juice can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Prepare the Noodles

  • Soak the dry noodle in water for 30 minutes. Planning tip: prepare the day before, drain the water and leave in the refrigerator in a closed container (valid for up to 3 days).

For the Pad Thai

  • Heat a wok over high heat. Add 2 tbsp of oil, then add the shrimps. Sear shrimps for 1 min on each side. Remove them from the wok and set aside.
  • In the same wok, add more 2 tbsp of oil and fry the tofu dices until golden. Be careful not to stir the tofu too much and shatter it.
  • Add chopped onion, dry shrimp and sauté well.
  • Add the noodle and stir. Then, add the sugar, tamarind juice and fish sauce. Toss the noodle until it absorbs all the sauces.
  • Taste the noodle and check the cooking point. If necessary, add a little water and keep tossing until it absorbs the liquid again.
  • Pull the noodle to the sides of the wok, leaving an empty space in the centre.
  • Break the eggs into the empty space and stir until it is well spread throughout the centre of the wok.
  • Cook the eggs for about 20 seconds.
  • Break up and rough scramble the egg.
  • Flip the noodles back to the centre, toss it well so that the eggs are well mixed with the noodle.
  • Add the bean sprouts, chopped chives, grilled shrimps and ground roasted peanuts. Turn off the heat and stir well until all the ingredients are well mixed.

For serving

  • Split the Pad Thai into 2 plates.
  • On the side of each plate, put lemon wedges, extra grounded peanuts and red chilli flakes.

Notes

  • Fresh shrimps can be substituted by chicken or pork meat. In this case, let the meat marinate for a few minutes in fish sauce or soy sauce to add flavour.
  • For a vegetarian version, do not add the shrimps (fresh and dry) and replace the fish sauce with soy sauce.
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