This dish, originally from the Central Plain, is a best of Thai street food, where it's prepared in few minutes and comes at a very cheap price. There are many variations for that dish, here're our 2 favorite recipes.
Serves 2 as a main course.
Recipe 1: Pad Thai with sweet and sour chili sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
50 g tofu, diced
200 g finely sliced meat or fresh shrimps
1 tablespoon sweet pickled radish, chopped
150 g rice-stick noodles
50 ml vegetable stock or chicken stock
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon dry shrimps
1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, crushed
50 g bean sprouts
2 tablespoons garlic chives, cut in 3 cm lengths
2 lime wedges
Sweet and sour chili sauce
3 dry spur chilies (deseeded)
5 shallots
4 garlic cloves
250 ml vegetable stock or chicken stock
3 tablespoons tamarind juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
0.5 tablespoon soy sauce
0.5 tablespoon coconut sugar
Prepare the sauce
Blend until smooth : chilies, shallots, garlic cloves and stock
When the mixture is thoroughly mixed, pour into a saucepan. Reduce the sauce over medium heat while adding the seasoning (tamarind, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar). When the sauce has halved, taste to adjust the seasoning : the sauce should be salty and sweet with a touch of sourness.
Stir-fry Pad Thai
Heat the oil in a wok. Stir-fried tofu, meat or shrimps and radish for about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan. Set adide.
Cook noodles with stock + vinegar, stirring constantly, until the noodles have absorbed the liquid. Add the sweet and sour chili sauce and mix well until half of the sauce is absorbed.
Add the reserved ingredients (tofu, meat or shrimps, radish) and mix well.
Push the mixture on one side of the pan and scramble the egg on the other side.
Add dry shrimps and peanuts. Mix well.
Place most of the bean sprouts and garlic chives on top of the noodles. Stir these through the noodles.
Transfer on a serving plate.
Garnish with the rest of the bean sprouts and garlic chives + lime wedges.
Recipe 2: "Fresh" Pad Thai
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
50 g tofu, diced
3 shallots, finely sliced
200 g sliced meat or fresh shrimps
1 tablespoon sweet pickled radish, chopped
150 g rice-stick noodles
125 g vegetable stock or chicken stock
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons tamarind juice
0.5 tablespoon coconut sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon dry shrimps
1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, crushed
0.5 teaspoon chili powder
50 g bean sprouts
2 tablespoons garlic chives, cut in 3 cm lengths
2 lime wedges
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok. Stir-fried tofu, shallots, meat or shrimps and radish for about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan. Reserve.
Cook noodles with stock + vinegar, stirring constantly, until the noodles have absorbed the liquid. Add the reserved ingredients (tofu, shallots, meat/shrimps, radish) and the seasoning (fish sauce, tamarind, sugar) and mix well.
Push the mixture on one side of the pan and scramble the egg on the other side.
Add dry shrimps, peanuts and chili powder. Mix well.
Place most of the bean sprouts and garlic chives on top of the noodles. Stir these through the noodles.
Transfer on a serving plate.
Garnish with lime wedges and the rest of the bean sprouts and garlic chives.