Pad Thai

A recipe I got from an online forum; it's the poster's Thai girlfriend's recipe, so authentic.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8  ounces  rice noodles, dried, thin
• 3  tablespoons fish sauce, to taste
• 3  tablespoons tamarind juice, the thickness of fruit concentrate to taste
• 2  tablespoons palm sugar, to taste
• 4  tablespoons  peanut oil
• 1⁄3 lb fresh shrimp, shelled, deveined and butterflied
• 3⁄4 cup tofu, firm pressed, cut into thin strips about an inch long, half an inch wide and a quarter inch thick
• 4 -5  garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3  shallots, thinly sliced (or substitute with half a medium onion)
• 1⁄4 cup  dried shrimp, small
• 1⁄4 cup radish, chopped (sweetened salted)
• 2 -3  teaspoons  dried red chilies, ground (to desired hotness)
• 3  eggs
• 3  cups fresh bean sprouts
• 1  cup  garlic chives, cut into 1 1/2-inch-long segments (optional)

• Garnish

• 2⁄3 cup  chopped unsalted dry roasted peanuts
• 1  lime, cut into small wedges
• 2 -3  sprigs fresh cilantro
• 4  green onions, trim off root tip and half of green leaves and place in a glass with white end in cold water to cris

Directions

1. Soak the dried rice noodles in cool or lukewarm tap water for 40 minutes to one hour, or until the noodles are limp but still firm to the touch.
2. While the noodles are soaking, mix the fish sauce with the tamarind juice and palm sugar; stir well to melt the sugar.
3. Taste and adjust flavors to the desired combination of salty, sour and sweet. Prepare the remaining ingredients as instructed.
4. When the noodles have softened, drain and set aside.
5. Heat a wok over high heat until it is smoking hot. (Note: If your wok is small, do the stir-frying in two batches. The recipe may also be halved to serve two.)
6. Add 2 teaspoons of oil and quickly stir-fry the shrimp until they turn pink and are almost cooked through. Salt lightly with a sprinkling of fish sauce and remove them from the wok.
7. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the remaining oil, add the rest of the oil to the wok and swirl to coat the wok surface, wait 20 to 30 seconds for it to heat.
8. Add the tofu, frying 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pieces turn golden.
9. Add garlic and stir-fry with the tofu for 15 to 20 seconds.
10. Follow with the sliced shallots and cook another 15 seconds.
11. Add the dried shrimp, sweetened salted radish and ground dried chillies. Stir and heat through a few seconds.
12. Add the noodles and toss well with the ingredients in the wok.
13. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes and when most of the noodles has changed texture and softened, push the mass up along one side of the wok.
14. Add the reserves teaspoon of oil to the cleared area, crack the eggs onto it and scramble lightly.
15. When the eggs have set, cut into small chunks with the spatula and toss them in with the noodles.
16. Add the sweet-and-sour seasoning mixture. Stir well to evenly coat noodles.
17. If the noodles are still too firm to your liking, sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of water over them to help cook.
18. Taste and adjust flavors as needed to your liking by adding more fish sauce or tamarind juice; if the noodles are not sweet enough, sprinkle in a small amount of granulated sugar.
19. When the noodles are cooked to your liking, toss in 2 of the 3 cups of bean sprouts and the garlic chives (if using).
20. Sprinkle with half the chopped peanuts and return the shrimp to the wok.
21. Stir and when the vegetables are partially wilted, transfer to a serving platter, or dish onto individual serving-size plates, and garnish with the remaining bean sprouts and chopped peanuts, the lime wedges, cilantro and green onions.