Pad Thai

  • Average
  • Average budget

Ingredients

  • 9 oz./250 g. pad Thai rice noodles (click to see what these look like)
  • 10-12 medium raw shrimp, shells removed
  • 1 boneless chicken breast or 1-2 thighs, chopped up into small pieces
  • 1.5 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-2 fresh red or green chilies (to taste), finely sliced
  • 1 tsp. grated galangal OR ginger
  • 4 green onions, sliced (keep white separate from green)
  • 1 egg
  • 2-3 cups bean sprouts
  • 1/3 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped
  • 2-3 Tbsp. vegetable oil for stir-frying
  • lime wedges for serving
  • PAD THAI SAUCE:
  • 1/3 cup good-tasting chicken stock
  • 3 Tbsp. rice vinegar OR white vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 3-4 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 tsp. white pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Place chopped chicken in a bowl and toss with soy sauce (1.5 Tbsp). Set aside. Combine 'Pad Thai Sauce' ingredients together in a cup, stirring to dissolve sugar. Set aside

Step 2

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Dunk in rice noodles and switch off heat. Allow noodles to soak approximately 6 minutes, OR until soft enough to bend easily, but still firm and 'undercooked' by regular standards. Drain and rinse noodles briefly with cold water to keep from sticking. Set aside

Step 3

Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle in the oil and swirl around, then add the garlic, chili, galangal/ginger, and the white parts of the green onion

Step 4

Add marinated chicken and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the shrimp, continuing to stir-fry until they turn pink and chicken is opaque 2-3 minutes. When pan becomes dry, add 1-2 Tbsp. of the pad Thai sauce - just enough to keep ingredients frying nicely

Step 5

Using your spatula or cooking utensil, push ingredients to the side of the pan (if pan is dry, drizzle in a little oil). Crack egg into center and stir-fry quickly to scramble. Then add noodles plus 3-4 Tbsp. of the pad Thai sauce. Using two utensils, lift and turn noodles with other ingredients. Continue in this way, adding more sauce every minute or two, until all has been added and the noodles are chewy-delicious and a little bit sticky 8-10 minute

Step 6

Fold in bean sprouts. Remove from heat and taste-test, adding more fish sauce until desired taste is achieved (I usually end up adding 1 Tbsp). Portion out onto individual plates and add a lime wedge on the side. Top with remaining green onion and a small heap of chopped/ground nuts