Pad Thai ☺

This recipe is adapted from Wandee Young and Brian Ayanoglu's book, "Simply Thai Cooking." Pad Thai looks a lot more complicated than it is. Allow about 2-1/2 hours preparation time. Cooking time is about 10 minutes. I prepare the tofu and the tamarind sauce ahead of time. This recipe makes 4 generous servings.

Prepare ahead:

tamarind sauce (see ingredients below)
fried tofu (see below)
garnishes (see below)

Prepare before frying:

1/4 c peanut or canola oil
1 t garlic, minced
4 oz uncooked boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
12 30-count shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 eggs
8 oz pad thai noodles
1/3 c unsalted roasted peanuts
2 c bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
4 spring onions, including green tops, 1/2" slices on the diagonal

Tamarind Sauce:

1/4 c tamarind paste
1/3 c hot water
3 T fish sauce
2 T sugar
juice from 1 lime

Fried Tofu:

12 oz block of firm or extra firm tofu, cut into 1 x 1/2 x 1/2-inch slices
1 T cooking oil

Garnishes:

1/2 t Thai chili powder (you can substitute cayenne)
1 chili pepper (Thai, jalapeno, etc.) seeded and thinly sliced
1/4 c cilantro leaves, rinsed and dried
1 lime, cut into eighths

Tamarind Sauce

In a small bowl, pour the hot water over the tamarind paste, and break the paste up in the water with a fork. Set aside for 15 - 20 minutes.

After the paste has softened, pour the paste mixture into a wire strainer over a bowl, and use a wooden spoon to mash the paste through the strainer. Strain as much of the pulp as you can, using a rubber spatula to scrape the pulp off the bottom of the strainer into the bowl. You should end up with about 5 T of pulp. Discard the seeds and residue in the strainer.

Add the fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice to the tamarind pulp. Mix together and set aside. (You can make the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate it until you fry the pad thai.)

Fried Tofu

Heat the oven to 450°F. Lightly toss the tofu and the cooking oil to coat the tofu. Place a wire rack on a shallow baking sheet. Spread the tofu in a single layer on the rack. Roast the tofu for about 10 minutes, then use a spatula to turn the pieces of tofu. Continue roasting the tofu, turning it every 7 - 10 minutes until is is golden brown. Cool and set aside. You only need 1/3 of the tofu for this recipe.

Noodles

A half-hour before frying the pad thai, fill a large saucepan with very hot tap water. Add the noodles to the water. The noodles should soften quickly in the hot water. Set the noodles aside for 20 - 30 minutes.

Peanuts

To crush the peanuts, put them on a cutting board, and crush them with a rolling pin. You can also chop them in a food processor, but the rolling pin gives better results. Do not crush the peanuts too much. If the peanuts require additional toasting, heat a skillet over medium heat, add the peanuts, and shake the skillet every minute or so until the peanuts are brown. Be careful not to burn them.

Frying the Pad Thai

When you are ready to fry the pad thai, drain the noodles, and put them back in the saucepan. Bring a quart of water to boil and pour over the noodles. Soak the noodles for another couple of minutes, then drain them. Set the noodles aside.

I put each ingredient in a small bowl or plate and line the ingredients up on the kitchen counter in the following order: garlic, chicken, shrimp, 1/3 of the prepared tofu, eggs (broken into a dish), drained noodles, tamarind sauce, crushed peanuts, bean sprouts and onions, Thai chili pepper and garnishes.

Heat a large wok on medium-high heat. Add the oil. As soon as it shimmers, add the garlic and stir with a metal spatula. Fry just until the garlic begins to brown, less than 30 seconds. Add the chicken and stir-fry until the pink has disappeared. Add the shrimp and tofu and stir-fry until the shrimp is opaque. Slip the eggs on top without breaking the yolks, and let the eggs cook for about a minute.

Add the noodles to the wok, and fold the mixture from the bottom of the wok. Stir fry for another minute. Stir in the tamarind sauce, and add 2/3 of the crushed peanuts. Stir to incorporate the peanuts, and then fold in 2/3 of the bean sprouts and all of the green onions. Remove from the heat

Carefully pour the pad thai onto a large serving platter or into a large bowl. Sprinkle with the Thai chili powder. Sprinkle with the remaining crushed peanuts. Arrange the chili pepper slices and the cilantro leaves on top of the pad thai. Place the lime slices and the remaining bean sprouts around the edge of the dish. Serve immediately.